Fighting Chance
by MZephyr
Summary: RanmaxAkane. Cologne and Shampoo trick Ranma into following Akane to China, but Akane is fast on the trail. When the Amazons fight for Ranma, can Akane defeat overwhelming odds to save him? Will Akane or Shampoo be the one to win her happy ending?
1. Akane Disappears

**Fighting Chance  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. At the end of a chase across China, will one person be able to defeat the odds and win her heart's desire?

**Note**: The story you are about to read, _Fighting Chance_, starts off with a rather depressing (though not particularly dark) first chapter. This is necessary in order to properly set everything up for the rest of the story. Please trust me that the mood of the remainder of the story will not be so depressing. That being said, the story as a whole is written as drama, not comedy, so you _should_ expect a certain amount of angst and tension, along with some lighter moments.

* * *

**Chapter 1. Akane Disappears**

The final bell rang at Furinkan High School in Nerima, Japan, ending the last day of the first term and simultaneously signaling the start of summer break. Like an overstuffed canvas bag which shreds under the pressure of its contents, students streamed out every door, ready and more than ready to enjoy their vacation. The omens for doing so were excellent. The day was hot but not particularly humid for July and a light breeze caressed smiling faces pleasantly. The multitude departed eagerly, their hearts happy and carefree.

All were so, that is, except for two seniors, walking together beside the canal. Akane Tendo, youngest daughter of Soun Tendo, and Ranma Saotome, only son of Genma Saotome, the heirs to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts and betrothed by their respective fathers since before they were even conceived. No laughter came from their throats and no smile was seen on their lips. Instead, their mood was serious and they seemed constantly on alert.

Akane watched her putative fiancé out of the corner of her eye as he walked at her side. It had not escaped her attention that ever since their return from China more than four months ago, he had taken to walking sedately beside her, never atop the fence as had previously been his custom. It was such a marked contrast that the young woman could not help but take notice on every such occasion, and the thought never failed to bring a small feeling of warmth to her heart.

It was a pity that other concerns threatened so to overwhelm that warmth, concerns which troubled her gravely. If only their fathers hadn't attempted to push them into marriage immediately upon the return from China. That plan had fallen into disaster as various rivals for the affections of one or the other of the duo had done their best to make their displeasure known, resulting in considerable property damage. In his dismay, Soun had declared that his daughter and future son-in-law must deal with the people in question, clearing the way for their eventual marriage.

Akane had set about that task with a will, although she was willing to concede, at least a little, that it was easier for her. She despised Tatewaki Kuno and was more than happy to blackmail him, threatening to inform people at the college he now attended of his attempt to interfere in a matter of honor between the Tendo and Saotome families. As a young man who liked to see himself as a modern day samurai, the blow to his own honor, to his reputation, would have been severe. In consequence, he had mostly backed off of his declarations of love for her, confining himself to occasional attacks on Ranma.

As for Ryoga Hibiki ... Akane gritted her teeth once more at the thought of his betrayal. She was not completely blind, and had been aware for some time of his crush on her, feelings which she did not return. She had been quite happy when he seemed to accept Akari Unryu as a girlfriend, although worried at the looks he continued to cast her own way. Akane had therefore taken him aside and carefully explained that there could never be anything between them. Her explanation had been interrupted when a child playing outside the yard had thrown a water balloon over the wall by mistake, which burst on Ryoga's head.

It had taken the combined efforts of Ranma and both of their fathers to keep her from killing her former pet. Akane ground her teeth at the memory of Ryoga's cursed pig form escaping over the wall as she struggled to escape the arms which held her.

In contrast, Ranma had seemed to achieve very little toward convincing the other girls to leave him alone. Akane had found herself once again wandering in that bleak wasteland of wondering whether or not he truly cared about her, troubled by the worry that he might prefer to marry one of the others instead. The memory of his declaration to her in China, the long awaited admission of his love, was slowly growing dimmer, helped not at all by his denial of those very words on what should have been the day of their wedding.

It wasn't that he had done absolutely nothing. Akane knew that Ranma had in fact spoken to Ukyo. The okonomiyaki chef hadn't taken it at all well, refusing to believe that Ranma did not want to marry her. She continued to pop up regularly to remind him of their alleged engagement, but the reminders were taking on an increasingly desperate tone. Several times now Akane had caught glimpses of Ukyo staring at Ranma in school, unseen by him, with a deeply unhappy look in her eyes. But Ranma refused to speak to her again, undertook no further effort to make his feelings clear. He refused to budge no matter how many times someone told him that leaving Ukyo in this halfway state was more cruel than forcing her to accept that she could never have him.

Ranma hadn't wanted to speak to Kodachi at all, claiming that it would be useless. Akane still wasn't sure whether he had or not. He _had_ gone off, under protest, when their fathers insisted, but who knew whether he had gone through with it? There was no question that the crazed gymnast still showed up all too frequently, trying to claim Ranma for herself.

Finally there was Shampoo, the Chinese warrior who insisted that the laws of her people required that Ranma marry her. He had flatly refused to say anything to Shampoo to convince her to give up, to go away, saying that it would be too dangerous. The thought made Akane clench her fists. What he meant was that it would be too dangerous to _herself_, that Shampoo might choose to attack her, to remove the "obstacle." The plain and simple fact was that Ranma did not believe she had sufficient skill to defend herself against such an attack.

The insinuation was infuriating. Akane knew herself to be one of the best martial artists of her generation. Just because Ranma happened to be a lot better than her - galling though it was to admit it - didn't mean she was some incompetent. And okay, so maybe Shampoo was also one of the best. Maybe even, though she'd never say so publicly, a smidgeon better than herself. That didn't mean she should be treated like she was helpless, like she couldn't even defend herself!

Akane sighed, causing Ranma to look over at her curiously. She wished there was some way to show him, some way to prove to him how good she was. The problem was that he himself was _so_ good, that practically everyone else looked second rate beside him. It was hard to convince Ranma to take _anyone_ seriously as a martial artist unless that person was able to give him a good fight, and he had always refused to fight her seriously. Akane had tried several times since China to get Ranma to spar with her, all to no avail.

There _was_ progress on other fronts, though it wasn't what you could call overwhelming. As she had already noted, Ranma always walked beside her now, whenever they went anywhere together, particularly to and from school. While they still argued as much as ever, the more stinging insults had somehow been eliminated from these exchanges, without either of them saying anything about it. Moreover, they had found themselves slowly gaining the ability to argue their way to compromises, at least for the more petty matters. Ever since China they had discovered a new ability to peacefully converse about inconsequential matters, and there had even been a few discussions of more serious nature, on a variety of topics.

The most cherished memories of all were a handful of times, when they had been well and truly alone, and Ranma had dared to take her hand and hold it.

Akane sighed again. It was rather depressing, she thought, that such was the best she could come up with under the heading of "cherished memories." How much longer could she continue waiting, hoping for more, especially when she herself didn't have the courage to tell him that she wanted more?

"Awful lot of sighing going on over there," Ranma commented. "Want to talk about it?"

Akane glanced at him then turned her eyes forward again. "Nothing we haven't talked about before. Argued about. The way that nothing seems to change. Problems are still problems. How much longer we should wait, hoping that things will magically work out."

Ranma frowned, correctly hearing that final "we" as an "I" - how much longer should she wait for him to settle matters, before giving up and moving on with her life? He felt his hidden fear ratchet up another notch, a fear he had been living with ever since China. The fear that Akane would decide that enough was enough, that there was no chance for the two of them. He'd tried, he really had tried to come up with some plan to cut through the tangles of fate which enveloped them, all to no avail.

He said nothing about it, though, allowing silence to fall between them again. He wanted to speak, wanted to eloquently explain his thoughts, his concerns, his worries. But the idea of eloquence emerging from his mouth was a cruel joke. Too many problems in his life owed their existence to foolishly opening his mouth. There was no way he could trust it with something so delicate. He'd only screw it up and make things worse.

The real bitch was that he was sure he could handle almost all of it. Ukyo, painful though that would be. The Kuno's, both Tatewaki and Kodachi. The fathers, Nabiki, even the difficulties caused by the well intentioned prodding of Kasumi and his mother. None of that was insurmountable. Not all of the solutions would be perfect, but he was confident that he could deal with them all sufficiently.

Which left the Joketsuzoku. The Amazons. The people who believed that "obstacles are for killing."

Try as he might, Ranma could find no answer to the problem posed by the Joketsuzoku. Not short of killing them, anyway, and he never wanted to kill someone again. Until he could come up with some solution for the Amazons, his entire strategy consisted of not letting anyone realize that he had made his choice already. Because if Shampoo or Cologne ever guessed the truth, they might decide that they had nothing left to lose, and he couldn't protect Akane from them twenty-four hours a day. For one thing, she would never allow it.

He had tried, just once, to explain this to Akane. The explosion that followed had nearly ended matters between them permanently. Akane had decided that he was insulting her martial arts skills, telling her that she had no chance of defending herself. She'd been unwilling to hear, or he'd been unable to adequately explain, that it didn't matter if she could, somehow, successfully defend herself against the first attack. Or the second. Or the first half dozen, because she wasn't the sort to kill. Which meant Shampoo only had to win once. And if there was one thing Ranma had learned from her near death at Jusendo, it was that he couldn't bear the thought of a life without Akane in it.

It was a pity he couldn't find the courage to simply tell her that last bit.

So they continued down the road toward home in silence. Akane wondering if Ranma would ever show he truly cared for her. Or even whether he did care. Ranma wondering if Akane was slipping away through his fingers. If perhaps it was already too late.

They walked silently, side by side, both conscious of the small distance which separated them. Close, but not touching. Comfortable, yet yearning for more, both unsure if there would ever be more. Ranma wanted to do something, try to give some sign. He looked around nervously. The street was a far more public location than he had dared before, but maybe ...

He slowly reached out his arm. His fingertips brushed the back of Akane's hand, seeking permission. Her eyes flicked over, taking in the cause of the touch, whereupon the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly. Akane turned her hand to receive his.

Then the breeze carried a maniacal laugh to their ears, and the two teenagers cringed in unison. A blizzard of black rose petals swept down the sidewalk to envelop them, as a ribbon coiled around Ranma's arm to snare it. Ranma retreated rapidly, trying to keep Kodachi Kuno out of his personal space. She followed after him closely, pressing in.

"Ranma-sama, why do you avoid me?" the gymnast inquired greedily.

With a sigh, Akane started back toward Ranma, fighting down the urge to pummel him, an urge born out of habit. Instead she focused on stopping Kodachi. However, she had taken fewer than half a dozen steps when sunlight glinted off of metal and the ribbon tying Ranma to Kodachi was cut. All eyes turned to the side to see Ukyo Kuonji standing there, brandishing her massive battle spatula.

"Stay away from my Ran-chan, Kodachi," the teenage chef snarled. Her eyes glanced over to Akane. "I don't want to see _you_ snuggling up close to him either. Remember, he's _my_ fiancé."

Kodachi returned haughtily, "You are a fool if you think that my Ranma-sama would prefer your presence over mine. Please return to the commercial establishment from which you came."

Ranma was trying to slip quietly to the side. Unfortunately his attempt was thwarted when a Chinese girl jumped down from a rooftop to land behind the boy, encircling him in a fierce embrace and pressing tightly against him.

"You both wrong. Is my airen. Ranma go on date with Shampoo now, yes?"

Ukyo snarled, "Over my dead body!" She turned toward Shampoo.

"Tritely put, but I must agree with the sentiment," Kodachi declared, pulling out a couple of clubs.

Ukyo swung her weapon at Shampoo, who released Ranma and blocked the attack easily. While Ranma tried to get between them, Kodachi raised a club to strike Ukyo from behind. In the meantime Akane had run up to join the fray and, on seeing this sneak attack, grabbed hold of Kodachi's raised arm. Twisting around, she threw the gymnast across the street.

A couple of men working on the opposite sidewalk had been openly staring at these goings on. Upon seeing the person hurtling through the air toward them they dove to either side. Kodachi, expecting a firm landing on her well balanced foot, tumbled as the foot slid in the wet cement the men had just been smoothing. The teenage girl landed face down in the muck.

Back across the street Ukyo was leaning against a lamppost trying to suck air back into lungs which weren't cooperating, while weakly holding the spatula out in front of herself. Akane stepped in front of Ukyo, fists raised, and a glint shone in Shampoo's eye as she hefted her chui in preparation to attack. But before she could do so, Ranma jumped between them.

"That's enough, Shampoo!" the pigtailed boy told her sternly. "Just stop it."

A smile lit the Chinese girl's face. "Yes, airen. Shampoo much rather do this!" She took a quick step forward and glomped onto Ranma, hugging him like a vise. Her face looking over his shoulder twisted into a smirk as she gazed on Akane and Ukyo behind him.

Trying to look back over his shoulder, Ranma said, "Um, Akane? Maybe you'd better go on home. I'll see you there later."

Akane stared at the back of his head, aghast. Unlike occasions in the past, this time she hadn't blamed him for what the other girls had done, hadn't yelled, hadn't hurled insults. She had tried to _help_ him. She had stepped in to protect Ukyo from Shampoo's attack. Now he was standing there, letting Shampoo hug him, and telling her to go home? To get lost, and leave him alone with that Chinese hussy?

Akane drew back her fist, prepared to knock her fiancé into orbit. Then she paused. What was the use? What would it accomplish?

"Fine, Ranma," she said quietly. "If that's the way you want it. I'll just leave you here with Shampoo." She spun on her heel and stomped off.

Shampoo called after her, "That right. Kitchen-destroyer leave. Shampoo take too too good care of airen."

* * *

When Ranma finally got home he didn't even bother going into the house, but went straight around to the dojo. As he expected, Akane was inside dressed in a gi, doing a strenuous workout. He paused for a moment at the door, watching in admiration the gracefulness she exhibited while working through her kata. Whatever he might say, Ranma always thought Akane beautiful. But this is when she truly shone, the right and proper setting for her athletic form.

Ranma thought back over all the times when Akane had wanted to spar with him, both before he had been willing to admit his feelings to himself, and also after. At first he had simply been too self-centered, too caught up with his own importance and unable to acknowledge her own devotion to the art. More recently he had been too scared of upsetting the status quo, too worried over how the Amazons might react if they learned that he was helping Akane to improve. Even so, he had done what he could.

Akane seemed unaware of how their sparring sessions had changed. Ranma still dodged her, but did so in a way to encourage certain moves and counters. Her speed had gradually increased since his arrival in Nerima, as she tried in vain to strike him as he flitted around her, but he had recently focused on pushing her to get even faster. His teasing comments were aimed at helping her to polish her form, eager even in her anger to prove him wrong. No one knew what he was doing, least of all Akane herself.

Yet it appeared that the status quo had shifted anyway, without his noticing. Shampoo had undeniably appeared ready to attack Akane earlier, had even looked eager to do so. Which meant that as a tactic for keeping a lid on the situation, his decision to avoid directly sparring with his fiancée seemed a failure at best. Worst of all, it prevented him from ensuring that she had the skills she might need if such an attack did come.

Well, if he was going to change his mind, there was no time like the present.

Akane had seen her fiancé walk in the door but was studiously ignoring him, still angry over being sent home while he was busy hugging his Amazon bimbo. Nonetheless her eyes were relentlessly drawn to him as he stood there, watching her. She was in fact looking straight at him when he blurred into motion. It took a moment for her brain to catch up with the report from her eyes as Ranma leaped across the space separating them, and when it did she put her arms up over her head and jumped away, pressing her back against the wall.

"What the hell kind of a defense was that?" Ranma demanded bitingly.

Akane stammered hotly in anger over his sarcasm. "I ... I wasn't expecting you to jump at me like that!"

The boy's eyes widened, and he feigned a look of innocent naiveté. "Ooh, well, pardon me! I wasn't aware that you were expecting engraved notices of upcoming attacks from your enemies."

Akane's face flushed dangerously. "You're not an enemy! At least, you're not supposed to be!"

Ranma waved his arm around him. "This is a _training hall_. What d'you think you're training to do in here? Ballroom dancing? It's martial arts! Attack and defense! Remember what happened earlier on the way home? You got to be ready, anytime, anywhere!"

Akane said nothing, finding no words to say. She just stared. Angry with him. Angry with herself. Angry with the situation.

Ranma beckoned with the fingers of his right hand. "Okay. So you come after me, then. Come on. I ain't gonna dodge."

The young woman's eyes narrowed speculatively, unable to credit what she was hearing. She raised her fists, then leaped away from the wall. He caught her arm and sent her flying across the dojo, where she landed on her feet. Then she just stood there, mind trying to cope with the fact that he had not, in fact, dodged her.

Ranma lifted his eyebrows. "Well? Are we sparring or not?"

Akane's face grew hot again. She wanted him to take her seriously as a martial artist, didn't she? So why was she giving him so many opportunities to question whether she was serious about it? ‹Okay, focus! It's time to show him, once and for all, make him admit I'm a martial artist too!›

The pigtailed boy watched as a fire blossomed in the eyes of the girl facing him, a fire which had little to do with the anger he had seen earlier. Her features firmed and then she was running toward him, obviously focused. Determined. Hungry. At the end of her run they met.

The bout continued for some time, with Akane getting the worse of their exchanges. At one point upon crashing into a wall and bouncing off, Akane reflected on the fact that she had not yet landed a single blow on him which was not blocked. Not that she had expected differently. But each time Ranma got through her defenses, each time she grunted at the impact of a fist or heel, it demonstrated a flaw. Flaws which she began to correct. Not that she was under any illusions of some grand improvement from this one session, but it was a beginning, and the young martial artist's spirit was soaring with exhilaration.

At last Ranma called a halt, and Akane collapsed on one of the benches along the wall. She had left a towel there, which she now picked up and into which she buried her face. She was barely aware as Ranma sat down beside her.

"They all left shortly after you did, you know."

Akane pulled her face out of the towel and glanced his way. "Huh?"

"Shampoo. Ukyo. Kodachi." Ranma sighed. "I don't know if Kodachi was feeling humiliated or just wanted to get cleaned up or what." He smiled reminiscently. "She was quite a sight when she pulled herself up out of that cement. Anyway she took off. Then Ukyo whanged me in the back of the head with her spatula for letting Shampoo hug me, and she stalked off. Then I told Shampoo that my head hurt and I wanted to get home, and I finally pried her off of me."

He glanced her way, then returned his eyes to the hands in his lap. "My point is, they all left or let me go after you took off. That's kinda why I suggested you leave. All three of 'em are worse when you're around. I think they feel threatened by you. And I ain't sure they even realize it."

"Should they feel threatened?" Try though she might, Akane couldn't put much hope into the question.

"I dunno. Should they?" Ranma was aware that his reply was no answer, reluctant as he was to make a vocal commitment which might well ignite open warfare if it became known. Besides, it was easier than facing the fear that Akane might tell him she did not truly have such feelings for him, or that anything she felt once had slipped away. So he grasped vainly at the hope that she might answer, while knowing full well that she would not.

Both teenagers sat there without speaking for several minutes, until the silence became too oppressive for Ranma.

"So, uh, you were doing pretty well out there earlier. Seems like you learn pretty quick. You, uh, wanna keep that up? Regular, I mean?"

Akane turned to stare at him with eyebrows disappearing behind her bangs. "You're kidding, right? After all the times I've asked you to spar with me for real? Of course I do! You're the one who'd never do it before!"

Ranma shrugged, admitting the truth of the accusation. His face remained serious. "We need to keep it secret though. Nobody can find out. Especially not Nabiki, and that means no one else in the family neither."

"Huh? Why?"

He hesitated before answering. The young man just knew this wasn't going to go over well. But on the other hand it was absolutely necessary that it be kept secret. "'Cause if we don't keep it secret then the Amazons will hear about it ..."

"So what?" Akane's voice grew hot again, tired of the way he kept harping on Shampoo. "Who cares if they find out?"

Ranma tried to keep his voice level. "By deciding to do this, I'm upsetting the balance of power. They might decide I'm trying to make sure you can defend yourself against Shampoo. Which I am. And they might decide to do something ... preemptive."

Akane bounced to her feet, spinning around to glare at him, hands clenched into fists at her side. "I am _not_ scared of Shampoo!"

Ranma stood as well. He spoke quietly but forcefully, through clenched teeth. "You _should_ be! Don't you _understand_? She's willing to _kill_! Are you? If she comes after you, how're you gonna stop her? And keep her stopped?"

The young woman facing him grew even angrier, but at the same time her chin trembled and her eyes glistened. "So what are you saying? That I should just give up? Let her have her way? Is that what you want?"

"No, dammit!" her fiancé shouted back. "I just wanna try to make sure you can face her when she finds out! And I wanna try to keep her from finding out until you're ready to face her!"

"And how long will that be?" Akane whispered harshly. "Will you ever think I'm ready? Or will you just keep making excuses? How long am I supposed to wait, for you to decide it's time?"

Ranma paused, a lump forming in his throat on hearing her give voice to one of his darker fears. How long _would_ she be willing to wait?

"Don't you understand, 'kane?" he whispered in his own turn, but more softly, less certain. "I ... I'm ready to start ... to try to do something about this mess. That's why I sparred with you today. But I need you to be willing to fight, to fight for what you want. Or what I ... what I hope you want. And by 'fight,' I don't mean charging in with fists blazing. I mean doing whatever it takes to win.

"That means we gotta be smart. We gotta prepare. And we can't let 'em know we're preparing. We gotta be secret, and not let 'em find out until it's too late. And that's gonna be hard. It's gonna take a lot of effort, but ... but we can do it. I'm sure we can."

Akane turned her eyes away. "I don't want to hide from them. I don't want to hide from anybody. Why should I? And I'm still not sure you'll ever believe that I'm ready. Am I supposed to go on hiding forever? I won't live like that. I just won't."

"Not ... forever," he responded hesitantly. "But, don't you see? It's the only way. The only sure way." Ranma hung his head. "I can't see any other way out of the mess. I've been trying to think of something, but I just can't."

Akane gave a deep and heartfelt sigh. After staring at him for a long minute she gave the tiniest nod of her head, not even sure if he'd seen although he appeared to be glancing up through his lashes. She turned and left the dojo without saying anything more.

* * *

Several days passed, days in which brief periods of time were stolen here and there for practice. Never enough, or so it seemed to the short-haired young woman. Each session was wonderful while it lasted, and Akane could feel herself improving, but she wanted so much more! Ranma continued to insist on secrecy however, which put severe constraints on the time they could spend together at martial arts.

With every private moment they could scrounge being spent in training, the infrequent times when they used to find themselves alone in the park or elsewhere had vanished. Ranma had not dared to try to hold her hand since that walk home on the last day of school, and Akane became increasingly frustrated with the situation. She couldn't escape the feeling that they had entered a phase which was only superficially different, where once again Ranma would waver uncertainly for an indeterminate time, unwilling to upset the status quo. When she tried to express her concerns, he dismissed them, saying that they were only waiting for the right time.

Then came the fateful evening when they were walking home from the store together, having gone out at Kasumi's request to make some purchases. It had been a bright, sunny day, a day on which it was hard to be anything other than cheerful, and was turning into an equally pleasant night. They were talking animatedly about the moves they had been working on during the session in the dojo before breakfast that morning.

"You know," Ranma spoke thoughtfully. "You've been doing really well. Better than I expected. I been thinking what we ought to do next, what you're ready for. I think we ought to take a training trip. Get you outdoors somewhere where you can really cut loose and get more control over channeling your chi into your punches and kicks."

Akane stopped to look at him wide eyed. "Are you saying I can already channel my chi? Like that?"

Ranma returned her stare, bemused. "You mean you didn't know? Why do you think you can hit so hard? Ordinary people can't normally toss around huge boulders of ice, or kick someone through a roof. Of course, you mostly do it when you're not really thinking about it. Anyway, when you start practicing doing it on purpose, it wouldn't be too smart to be in the dojo."

"Um, yeah," Akane responded distractedly. She smiled. "I think the dojo's taken enough damage in the last couple of years. So we're really going to go off camping somewhere? Together?"

"Yeah." Ranma sighed. "At least, if I can figure some way to get both of us out of town without anyone getting suspicious."

"I'm afraid it's a bit late for that." The voice came from the side, in a deathly hiss. Both teenagers turned to see Ukyo glaring at them, face contorted in rage. Each cheek was adorned with a single thin tear track.

"Ah, crap!" Ranma groaned softly, then more loudly, "Listen, Ucchan ..."

"Don't call me that!" screamed the young chef. She hefted her battle spatula off of her back. "You were supposed to marry me! Your cute fiancée! The one who loves you! Who doesn't feed you poison!"

Akane's face darkened at this last crack. Ranma noticed and shook his head at her. "Go home. Let me talk to her."

"I don't _want_ to talk," Ukyo yelled. She swung her weapon, which Ranma deftly dodged.

Akane appeared to still be contemplating stepping into the middle of things. While continuing to dodge, her fiancé called to her in exasperation. "Look, I ain't hugging her, right? Remember what I told you. If you take off, it'll be a lot easier for me to talk some sense into her!"

Akane scowled, not at all happy to be told to get herself home once again. Dammit, would _he_ leave if _she_ was in a fight? Hell, no. So where did he get off not wanting her around while he was fighting? Ranma probably just wanted her gone so he could tell Ukyo that she had misunderstood, that she was still his fiancée. Why should she expect any different? When had Ranma ever been willing to tell the other girls to give up?

With one last glare for the young man dancing around the street, the original fiancée turned and stomped off. People on the sidewalk quickly got out of her way, parting like the Red Sea.

None of them noticed the figure on a nearby roof, a Chinese girl with purple hair who had a scowl on her own face as she surveyed the scene below and contemplated all she had heard. Shampoo turned her head to look at the girl marching off down the street, gave a decisive nod, then began to run along the rooftops.

With Akane gone, Ranma felt that he could finally take the risk of grabbing Ukyo, which was the only way he could think of to make the girl stop and listen. With one more leaping dodge, he landed behind the chef and wrapped her in a tight embrace, pinning her arms to her sides. He let her struggle for a couple of minutes, uselessly, before she finally subsided.

"You ready to talk now?" the young man asked quietly.

"What's there to talk about?" Ukyo hissed. "I think you made it pretty plain. You're planning to go off to God knows where with no one for company except _Akane_."

"Dammit! I _tried_ to tell you a few weeks ago! I came right out and told you I just couldn't think of you that way!" Exasperation was clear in his voice.

"What you _said_," Ukyo pointed out dangerously, "was that you thought of me like a sister, and you just couldn't marry me when that's how you saw me." She paused for a moment, and when she continued her voice was less angry, more bitter. "I _thought_ you were telling me that we had to make some changes in our relationship, that you had to find a way to see me as something other than 'like a sister.' Then we'd get married."

Ranma sighed. "You were fooling yourself." He was silent for a moment or two before going on, unhappy but determined. "I ... I finally figured out what I want. I can't ... Ukyo, I can't _live_ without Akane. I'm sorry. I was ... scared to tell anyone. I'm terrified of what Shampoo might do when she finds out. I know ... I know I've hurt you. But _please_ don't tell anyone. Not until I've got Akane ready to face Shampoo."

"Let go of me Saotome." The words were clipped, quiet, cold.

Since her voice sounded calm, however cold and unhappy, he relaxed his grip and released the girl. She took a step away and turned to face him.

"Don't ever come to my restaurant again." Ukyo's voice continued level and cold, with just a slight tremble of her chin. "I won't tell anyone. I'm not that petty. But I don't want to see your face outside of school again. For that matter, I'll switch to a different homeroom. Or maybe a different school." The tremble of her chin increased, and she took a moment to fight it back under control. "I hope you choke on your decision with every meal that she prepares for you."

Without giving him a chance to respond, Ukyo spun around and marched off down the street. She did not quite walk a straight line, and other pedestrians were forced to jump out of her way.

As he picked up the bag of groceries Kasumi had sent them for, Ranma summed up his feelings with a single word. "Crap."

* * *

Akane was about halfway home and in the middle of a shortcut through the grounds of her old elementary school when Shampoo landed lightly a few meters in front of her. The Chinese girl's face was closed, revealing nothing of what was going on behind her eyes. Akane stopped, carefully balancing herself for any possible need to react, and inquired, "Hello, Shampoo. What's up?"

Shampoo was not holding any weapons. Such would not be appropriate to her current purpose. She let her eyes run up and down Akane contemptuously, dismissively. "Shampoo think it time that kitchen destroyer be taught lesson. Learn stay away from airen."

Akane allowed herself to shift into a less subtle stance. "Oh? And just what sort of _lesson_ were you thinking of?"

The Chinese girl smiled, but the smile didn't come anywhere near her eyes. "Shampoo not kill. Airen no like that. But show airen you weak. Pathetic. Not strong warrior like Shampoo."

Akane now openly set herself into an obvious martial arts stance, prepared to defend herself. "I'm not scared of you."

Shampoo continued to smile. Then she leaped in, and there was no time to think. Fists and feet blurred with strike, block and counterattack. Ten seconds passed. Twenty. Then a block was a fraction too slow, and Shampoo's fist drove into Akane's side, sending the short-haired girl flying to crash into the wall of the school.

Shampoo was already closing before Akane could jump back to her feet. The Japanese girl spun to push against the ground while she kicked out with her feet. Not expecting the quick recovery, Shampoo only managed to ride the blow marginally, giving an involuntary grunt as the foot connected. By the time she was able to close again, Akane was standing once more.

No quarter was asked, or given, on either side. Akane collected a gash on her forehead from which blood freely ran, and a blow to her cheek felt like it would leave the right side of her face as one massive bruise. She had several scrapes from repeatedly hitting the wall or ground, and her left leg was barely supporting her.

Shampoo, on the other hand, was surprised that the fight lasted as long as it had. She had taken a hit on her lower right ribs which made it painful to breathe, and another blow to her shoulder was forcing her to favor her right arm. Still, her opponent was slowing down, half blinded by the blood ...

Akane's arm shot out to block the blow she half saw through a curtain of blood. She only had time for one instant of despair when she failed to connect and realized it must have been a feint. Then pain exploded in her chest and she struck the wall again, hitting her head and falling to the ground dazed, her sight dim. She had lost sight of the enemy, and another blow struck her in the side as she tried to get her eyes to work.

Akane cut off a cry of agony as another blow struck her in the chest, and she realized that Shampoo was kicking her while she was down. Giving up on vision, she tried to concentrate on the sounds around her, in order to ride the kicks as they came. She was only half successful, and was humiliated to realize that her eyes were filling with tears.

Shampoo finally stopped, wincing as she looked down at the girl lying crumpled on the ground, whimpering. The Chinese girl felt the first whisper of panic that she had lost control, very much afraid that she might have gone too far. She knew very well that her airen had unusual notions about showing mercy to enemies, and that her chance of winning his love might be imperiled if she violated those ideals too greatly. Still, what was done was done, and one could only go forward.

Watching carefully for any further counterattack, Shampoo bent close near Akane's head. "Remember! Ranma is Shampoo's airen! You keep hands off, or Shampoo do much worse." She waited to see if there would be any response, but none came, and the Amazon warrior grudgingly felt a small measure of respect, for it was clear that the other girl was conscious and had heard every word. Not deigning to press the point, Shampoo stood and walked off. Glancing over her shoulder to see that her departure was not being watched, Shampoo reached her left hand over and cradled her right arm with a wince of pain.

Akane finally realized that Shampoo had left and began pulling herself together. She knew quite well she must look an awful sight, but much worse than the injuries and her appearance was the knowledge that Shampoo had beaten her. Even more, it was clear that if Shampoo _had_ intended something fatal, she would be dead right now.

She pulled herself slowly to her feet, feeling foolishly relieved to note that she was no longer crying, that the tears must only have been a reaction to the immediate pain. The young woman leaned against the wall of the school for several minutes until she was able to stand a little more steadily. She wiped at her eye with her sleeve. Examining the blood, Akane noted how badly the sleeve was torn already, so she simply ripped off a large piece and pressed it to the cut on her forehead. Stumbling drunkenly, Akane slowly began to make her way home.

When she finally arrived, Akane paused on the engawa as she heard voices. Kasumi had apparently just informed Ranma that her younger sister had not yet returned, and he was growing agitated. The teenage girl didn't want her fiancé to see her in her current state, and quickly slipped around the side of the house. She only just made it before he ran outside and jumped over the wall, calling her name.

Akane quickly decided that she didn't want anyone to see her like this. She continued around the house and came in by the back door, slipping into the changing room of the furoba before anyone could spot her. She grabbed a towel and continued on to the bathing room before undressing, not wishing to leave her damaged clothing where Kasumi might come in and find it. Slowly, wincing with every movement, she pulled her clothing off, gazing unhappily at the bruises already forming on her skin.

The bath was accomplished at glacial speed, and the soak in the furo nearly put her to sleep. Akane wearily pulled herself out of the water and slipped on a yukata, then bundled her half ruined clothing up in a ball wrapped in a towel. She felt obscurely reluctant to let anyone know the extent of what had happened. She slipped out of the room, down the hall, and started up the stairs.

"Akane, is that you?" Kasumi's voice. Footsteps emerged from the kitchen to stand below her.

"Yes, oneechan," the girl answered, without turning, keeping her face hidden. "I, uh, had a difference of opinion with another martial artist. But I'm fine! Or I will be, once I've had a good night's sleep. I'm really just very tired, and want to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Okay?"

There was a note of worry in the voice behind her. "Well, if you're sure ..."

Akane nodded her head. "Yeah, don't worry. Like I said, I'm fine. Good night." She didn't dawdle to risk further conversation, but finished mounting the stairs and walked quickly down the hall toward her bedroom. She stuffed the bundle of clothes into the back of her wardrobe, on the floor, before pulling off the yukata and slipping into pajamas. Wearily the young martial artist climbed into bed, lying on her stomach and buried her face in her pillow.

Whereupon she finally released the tears.

* * *

The following morning Ranma arose to find that Akane had left the house minutes before. He did not worry overmuch, however, when Kasumi told him that Akane had called back as she was leaving that she was going over to Yuka's house and would probably spend the night there. He had already fully recovered from the extremely worried state into which he had worked himself last night, only to return home to find that Akane was safely asleep in her bed. After a leisurely breakfast he went out to the dojo to run through some kata, while he waited for his old man to get out of bed so they could spar.

Meanwhile over in the Nekohanten, Shampoo had finally climbed out of bed about the same time as Ranma and pulled on some clothing, realizing that she couldn't put this moment off any longer. She trudged up to her great-grandmother's door and knocked lightly.

"Come in child."

Shampoo slowly opened the door and walked into the room, stopping before her great-grandmother who was sitting cross-legged in a chair. She didn't speak.

The old voice held a trace of amusement as it asked, "I suppose this is about the fight you had last night?"

Shampoo's head jerked up in surprise, then she looked down at the floor shamefaced. She had no idea why she was surprised - the elderly woman always seemed to be aware of everything that happened, whether you wanted her to know or not. Still ... "How you know?"

She was answered with a chuckle. "I'd have to be blind not to see how you're favoring that arm. Your breathing is a bit off too. Ribs troubling you? And surely you don't think that little dress is hiding the decorative bruises you've picked up? So who was it?"

Shampoo winced. "Akane." She never used the girl's name to her face, but Akane wasn't here at the moment, so there was no need for insults intended to needle her.

Cologne's indrawn breath was audible in the still room. "I ... see. That _is_ a little surprising. I'm not sure whether to hope that you gave better than you got, or not."

Shampoo winced again. "Shampoo did. No serious injury, but ... she not look good."

Cologne joined her in wincing. "Son-in-law is going to be ... unhappy about that. I trust you realize this?"

Shampoo nodded miserably, not bothering to speak.

Cologne looked her great-granddaughter over, weighing her words. "Are you prepared to change your tactics for winning your airen?"

The teenage girl sighed heavily. She had so wanted Ranma to love her by his own choice. But she was a warrior. She had made a mistake, one which was likely to doom her initial plans. If that turned out to be the case, then she would not vainly pursue a fool's hope. She would take a different approach, and victory would still be hers in the end.

Shampoo finally gave her answer. "Yes. If really no hope airen love me."

Cologne nodded. "I'll go out myself and reconnoiter. You'd better stay out of son-in-law's sight for a time, just in case." Her gaze sharpened. "Before I go, would you mind explaining your injuries? I know full well the Tendo girl is better than your insults imply, but I hope you haven't started to believe them yourself. It does not behoove a warrior of the Joketsuzoku to be overconfident, or to forget an enemy's true level of skill."

The young woman flushed darkly, as these biting words were part of why she had dreaded approaching the old woman. "Akane better than expected. Shampoo not just saying so because of bruises. Akane better than was before. But Shampoo admit made mistake. Should not have been overconfident."

"Hmm." Cologne tapped her fingers on the end of the staff she gripped. "I wonder if son-in-law has been giving her some training. If so ... that is additional reason to be alarmed. For if he has, then he has purposely been keeping it secret. Which suggests unfortunate things about what he may be planning."

Shampoo's eyes widened, not having considered such a possibility, or at least not all of the ramifications. And she should have, she told herself sternly, after what she had overheard about Ranma planning to take Akane on a training trip. She said nothing about that however, not wanting to appear even more foolish in front of her great-grandmother.

Cologne sighed. "Well, I have already said that I will go out and learn what I can. I'll just see if I can find out anything about such additional possibilities as well. In the meantime, say nothing of any of this to Mousse. I'd rather he didn't know that the situation may have changed. You and he will have to start preparing to open the restaurant for lunch. I'm not sure how soon I'll return."

* * *

At the same time that Cologne left her restaurant, Akane was walking slowly down a residential street in Nerima, on the way to her friend Yuka's house. She wore a wide-brimmed hat pulled low over her face, both to conceal the ugly gash on her forehead as well as to keep her bruised face in shadow. The slowness of her pace was due in large part to the effort she made to keep from limping too noticeably.

She thought once more over what she planned to do. Akane had been careful to arise while everyone else in the house was still asleep, even Kasumi. She had silently filled her pack, and hidden it behind some boxes in the alley outside the back wall. Returning to her room, she had waited until what seemed a reasonable time to "awaken," listening intently to ensure Kasumi was the only other person up. Mustering her courage, she had made her way downstairs quietly and walked steadily to the front door. With a quiet sigh of relief that Kasumi had not yet seen her, she called back that she would be spending the day at Yuka's house, and probably the night as well. Then she was gone, taking time only to retrieve the pack from its hiding place.

So far no one in the family had gotten a good look at her since the fight with Shampoo, and Akane wanted to keep it that way. Ranma was already paranoid about what Shampoo might do, and the young woman had no wish to see her father, her sisters, and possibly even Ranma's parents join in the paranoia. Life would become intolerable. So she had decided to stay away from home for a day or two until the worst of the bruising and soreness faded, and she could make light of what had happened.

Eventually she arrived at her friend's door, and essayed a smile when it opened. The smile become less forced when she saw that Yuka was still in pajamas. Pajamas with little teddy bears all over them.

"Akane! Why didn't you call? You're up awful early - I haven't even had my breakfast yet. Why do you have that pack with you? Oh, come in, come in. So what ... Akane? ... What ... What happened to your face?"

Akane's eyes dropped, tilting the hat down even further.

Yuka lifted her fingers to her mouth. "It wasn't ... Ranma didn't ... Oh, what am I saying? Of course Ranma wouldn't. But who ...?"

Akane sighed. "I _am_ a martial artist, Yuka. Remember? Obviously, I had a fight. Just as obviously, it didn't go as well as I might have wished."

Yuka swallowed heavily. "Um, yeah. Sorry. So, uh, what can I do for you? I assume Ranma's off beating the crap out of whoever you fought with?"

Akane pursed her lips and gave her friend a medium intensity glare. "He doesn't know yet and besides, I can fight my own fights." She sighed again, and glanced toward the kitchen where movements could be heard. "Look, can we talk?"

Her friend followed her glance. "Uh, yeah. Come on outside." She led the way through an open shoji out into the yard, where they sat on a bench near the ornamental pond. Akane removed her hat, holding it in her lap, and Yuka bit her lip.

The teenage martial artist gave a weak chuckle. "Do I really look that bad?"

Yuka shrugged, looking away. "Depends on how you look at it, I guess. Like you said, you _are_ a martial artist. I suppose bruises and ..." Her hands fluttered. "... and that sort of thing come with the territory. I know I've seen Ranma looking worse. Not often, though."

Akane looked down at her fingers playing with the brim of the hat in her lap. "My, um, _appearance_ is part of why I'm here. Ranma's been worrying a lot lately about whether I might be in danger from the other girls. Well, Shampoo mostly. I'm afraid that if he sees me like this, he'll be a hundred times worse, and the rest of the family might join in. I want to get away for a couple of days until I'm looking a little better."

Yuka nodded, thinking she understood. "You're welcome to stay here, of course. I'm sure my parents will be okay with it."

Akane gave her friend a smile, but also a small shake of her head. "Thanks, and that's what I want everyone to believe, but I need to get away for a while." She turned and stared off into the distance, falling silent for a bit.

Just before Yuka decided to break the silence, Akane spoke again. "I need some time to myself to think. I need it desperately. It's impossible to think around here, with Ranma, our fathers, my sisters, all of the crazies in Nerima. I need to make some decisions.

"I need to figure out what I really want. I ... care about Ranma. A lot. Maybe a lot more than a lot." Akane paused, cocking her head as if listening. Very quietly, she added, "I've never admitted that to anyone before."

Yuka nodded, although it was a trifle unclear whether she was indicating that she already realized the depth of Akane's feelings, or was simply agreeing that her friend had never admitted their existence.

Akane continued. "But I'm not sure it's enough. How much does Ranma care about me? He's given me some clues, but ... sometimes I think he's never going to put a stop to this mess. How long am I supposed to wait? And how much risk do I have to live with in the meantime?" Akane looked up suddenly. "You understand? I'm not afraid of the risk. The question is - is it worth it? If I have to face it again, the sort of thing that happened last night, am I doing it so we can be together? Or am I doing it for nothing?"

Akane's gaze fell back to her lap. "I need time to think. I need some peace and quiet, some time to look inside myself and find the answers. I can't do that around here."

Yuka spoke at last. "So, you're taking off somewhere on your own?"

The bruised face nodded. "Yeah. Not far. I'm going to hike out into the suburbs and find a quiet inn or something. Check in for a day or two, while I sort things out. I don't want anyone to know where I've gone. I told Kasumi that I might stay here, at least tonight. Don't tell anyone where I've gone, okay? For that matter, don't tell them that I have gone."

Yuka sighed. "Okay. If that's what you want. But before you go, you're going to listen to me. I'm going to tell you what _I_ think. Ranma would fight his way through hell for you if he needed to. And if you'd just make it clear to him that you wanted him to. You can't bitch about him not taking more definite steps if you're not willing to yourself."

Akane's mouth twisted. "I'll think about it. I _will_ think about it. You can tell Sayuri I've gone if you want, but make sure she knows not to tell anyone else. The last thing I need is to have Ranma smashing down the door of the room I'm staying in, thinking that he's rescuing me." She put her hat on her head, adjusted it carefully, and lifted the pack onto her back once more.

Yuka stood as well. "You're leaving straight from here? And you said you're walking?"

"Yeah. I can't go back home without risking someone seeing me like this. And I don't want to take the bus or train because it would be too easy to trace me. At least on foot it should be a lot harder for anyone to track me down. I shouldn't be gone more than a couple days at most. Just long enough to get my head straightened out."

Yuka escorted her friend to the front door and watched in worry as Akane trudged slowly down the street, limping.

But she wasn't the only one who watched. Up on the roof, a withered old woman leaned on her staff and observed the same girl through wrinkled eyes, contemplating all that she had seen and overheard. Her great-granddaughter really had done a number on the Tendo girl. The injuries weren't that serious, and would be well on their way to healing in a couple of days, but young Akane was sadly mistaken if she thought that would fool the son-in-law for even a second. Ignorant of many things he might be, but his eyes would not fail to instantly and accurately assess her recent injuries as soon as she came once more into his sight.

At that point, things might become ... difficult. Ranma was an easy-going lad who didn't like to hurt people, but he could be dangerous when roused. Far more dangerous than he realized. This was so even if one ignored the neko-ken, and taking _that_ into account ... Cologne shuddered at the memory of her long past battle with the young man, when she realized that she was facing the neko-ken.

The old woman remembered how she had been both amazed and appalled to discover that Genma Saotome had trained his son in the dreaded technique. Appalled that he had put anyone through that torture, let alone his own son. Amazed that the man had survived, the first person in more than five centuries to train someone in that technique and not to end his life as the first victim of the trainee's claws.

It had been at that point that the Amazon elder chose to follow the path of least resistance, and allow her heir to attempt to win the love of young Ranma. It would be by far the _safest_ way of bringing him back to their village and keeping him there. However, the chance of such a plan succeeding now seemed remote, so it was time to consider alternatives. By one means or another, they must attempt to lure Ranma back to their village, where his will could be subdued by methods strong enough that they might, with luck, even bind the neko-ken. In any event, this now seemed their best hope for some means to salvage Shampoo's pride, and her standing in the eyes of the other villagers.

Cologne's eyes narrowed as she gazed once more along the street down which Akane had walked out of sight. A pity that the girl's disappearance would not be permanent, not that the elder was senile enough to take any steps in that direction herself. She could just picture her son-in-law coming after them, heedless, out of control. Cologne paused in her thoughts at that point. Gradually her face lightened. Come to think of it, perhaps the Tendo girl's temporary disappearance _could_ be put to use. If the boy thought ... Yes, that might work indeed.

A brief evil cackle disturbed the nearby residents, as an ancient woman leaped away across the rooftops.

* * *

**Author's note:**

So here it is at last, my latest novel. It's eleven chapters long, and currently stands at a little over one hundred thousand words, although I'm fairly sure the word count will increase some as my pre-reader and I work on the remaining chapters.

Stay tuned for chapter 2, in which Akane thinks things over and Cologne puts her plan into effect.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	2. The Chase Begins

**Fighting Chance  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. At the end of a chase across China, will one person be able to defeat the odds and win her heart's desire?

* * *

**Chapter 2. The Chase Begins**

Cologne burst from the dining area into the kitchen of the Nekohanten, startling the two Chinese teenagers who were working in there. Even before she was fully through the door the old woman was already speaking, loudly and urgently. "Shampoo! I need your help out front. I've ..."

She paused, sized up the young man who was also in the room, then addressed him in a very different tone of voice. "Well, hello there Mr. Part-timer. You're just the person I need to run an errand. Go purchase three cases of soba noodles, immediately. We must have them before we open for lunch."

Mousse eyed her suspiciously. "I wasn't aware that we were getting low."

Cologne glared at him. "Are you questioning me boy?"

The young man bowed his head at this. Although he was very worried about what the elder might be up to this time, open defiance would gain him nothing. He gave a slight bow, then turned and walked out through the back door. As soon as the door closed behind him, Mousse took off at high speed, hoping to get back in time to interfere in whatever scheme she might have in mind.

Shampoo regarded her great-grandmother curiously. "What help you need?"

Cologne shook her head. "None actually. All of that was an act for the benefit of Mousse. I have a plan in mind, one that he is going to help us with."

The teenage girl cocked her head, staring with perplexity at her mentor. "If Mousse help, why send on errand? We have much noodle."

"Because the less he knows, the better he'll help. Now pay attention."

Despite the need to explain quickly before the boy returned, the old woman took a minute to study her great-granddaughter and heir. She sighed and began. "You miscalculated. Severely. You went much too far - the Tendo girl looks like she's been put through a wringer. Son-in-law apparently hasn't seen her yet, and she's gone off for a couple of days to recover a bit before he does, but it won't be enough. One look at her and the boy will know exactly what happened. At that point, he's bound to react very badly."

Shampoo hung her head. She had already feared as much, but it didn't make her any happier to hear it.

Cologne continued. "On the other hand, this provides us with a golden opportunity. Son-in-law doesn't know that Akane has gone off of her own free will. If we can convince him that we have her, I think we can make him chase us all the way home. Once we have him there ... well, we can do whatever's necessary to make sure he stays there. Understood?"

The teenager took one more moment to wish that things could have been otherwise, before she dismissed the dream. She nodded to show her acceptance.

"Very well, then. I'll need to make a phone call to the council to warn them of our plans. But first, this is what we're going to do. ..."

Mousse returned as quickly as he could but a good fifteen minutes had passed all the same. As he approached the rear door of the café, he heard voices through the open window of the kitchen. Making a snap decision, he put the cases down quietly and crept up close to the window, keeping out of sight just below the sill.

He heard the elder's voice first. "Now that we have Akane Tendo securely bound upstairs, we need to finish this potion. It will make her docile enough to easily take along. She'll give us no trouble as we make our way across China and back home."

"Then brainwash pervert-girl, yes?" Shampoo replied eagerly.

"Correct." Cologne's voice was gloating. "By the time we return with her to Japan, she'll do anything we say. After that it will be child's play to have her drive son-in-law away, and straight into your arms."

There was a sound of clapping. "Shampoo like sound of that." Then more soberly. "But what if airen find out?"

"He must not," the old voice responded just as seriously. "If he does, then all may be lost. You may even find yourself forced to marry Mousse."

The boy below the window swallowed hard. His fondest wish! Possibly within reach! All he had to do was to make sure that Saotome learned of their plans.

Shampoo next asked, "We leave soon then, yes?"

"Within the hour," Cologne answered. "As soon as this is done. Did you do as I asked? Did you bribe that girl, Yuka whatshername, Akane Tendo's friend, to say that Akane was staying with her?"

"Yes, great-grandmother," Shampoo replied dutifully. "She tell everyone kitchen-destroyer at her house."

"Excellent! Now ..." The voice suddenly cut off. Mousse strained his ears to hear more. With shocking suddenness cold water poured on top of him and he shrank into his clothes.

When his head emerged from the garments, the duck was grabbed around his neck. As he was lifted from the ground he heard the voice of his beloved Shampoo. "Bad boy Mousse! No should spy on Amazon women!"

The duck saw Cologne glaring at him. "We don't have time to deal with him, Shampoo. Just stuff him in the cage, and let's go."

The Chinese boy who was currently a duck found himself shoved unceremoniously into a cage, over which a blanket was thrown, cutting off all sight of the outside world. While he fretted, a variety of sounds came from the room around him, as well as the sound of feet going up the stairs and coming back down again. All too soon the back door opened one last time.

"Bye bye Mousse," Shampoo called cheerfully. "We come back soon. You be good boy while gone, yes?" The door closed.

Mousse sank to the floor of his cage, overwhelmed by despair.

* * *

As the pair of Chinese women entered the train station, the younger addressed the elder. "Akane off on own, right? Why we not kidnap for real? Airen follow for sure."

Cologne looked at her heir in disgust. "Do you truly _want_ Ranma to kill you? Sooner or later he _is_ going to catch up to us, though ancestors' willing that won't be until we reach the village. It's going to be a very tricky moment, even if we have set up an ambush. If Akane was our prisoner, he might fly into a killing rage. By instead revealing at that very moment it's been a wild goose chase, he should hesitate, hold back his full strength. That moment of hesitation could be critical to our victory."

Shampoo nodded her understanding. "What about Nekohanten?"

Cologne shrugged. "I'd be willing to write it off as a complete loss, if necessary. But I won't have to. I made arrangements with a lawyer in Nerima a long time ago. Once we're sure that son-in-law is on our trail, I'll contact the lawyer and have him arrange for its sale."

They purchased their tickets and went off to stand at the side, but now Shampoo had another question. "Why great-grandmother buy three tickets?"

The old woman smiled enigmatically. "You'll see."

In the event, Shampoo didn't have to wait very long. Cologne suddenly stepped forward and tapped her staff lightly on the arm of a young Japanese woman in the process of purchasing a ticket. She seemed to be about eighteen years old, with short, black hair. Although she did not much resemble Akane Tendo, she would match a general description reasonably well.

"Excuse me dear, but did I hear you ask for a ticket to Niigata?" The woman nodded, curious, and Cologne smiled gently. "Unhappily, the third member of my party is not going to be able to make it. I have a ticket for Niigata right here which is simply going to go to waste. Would you like to have it? At a substantial discount, of course."

Now the woman smiled widely. "Thank you. That's most generous."

"Think nothing of it, my child," Cologne told her. "I assure you, I'll be more than happy to give it to you. I'm sure we'll very much enjoy your company in the seat beside us on the train."

* * *

In a remote village in China, a group of wizened old crones was dispersing from the assembly hall. They had been discussing a telephone call received from Cologne a few hours earlier, conveying the information that she was returning at last with Shampoo and that Shampoo's intended would be, not with them, but following closely behind. Chasing them, in point of fact.

The call had been taken by Perfume, an old friend of Cologne's, who had agreed to her requests unhesitatingly. She had then called the other elders together to bring them up to date on the plan, such as it was at the moment. Most thought it a little theatric, but it sounded reasonably straightforward.

Specifically, Cologne had asked that a young member of the tribe, one with short hair, meet her and Shampoo near the coast. By preference, she should wear western clothing. As it turned out, this aid would be easier to provide than expected, as a suitable girl was by chance on her way back from a trip to Shanghai. Meifen, as she was named, was expected to contact her family in the next day or two. It would be a simple matter to order her to turn back around and put herself at the service of the respected elder. The idea was that she was to pretend to be some Japanese girl, and together with Cologne and Shampoo would lure Ranma Saotome to the village, where he would be met by an ambush of overwhelming force. The Japanese boy would then be compelled to acknowledge his duty, both to Shampoo and to the Joketsuzoku.

Most of the council listened to this news in relief, glad that Cologne would finally return home permanently. A few of the elders, however, were a trifle uneasy. One of these few, a woman by the name of Lotion, was an old rival of Cologne, both politically and personally. So far as she was concerned, the whole business had a fishy smell to it. She couldn't help but wonder why Cologne did not simply subdue the boy along the road, why she wished to wait until she reached the village. Yes, they had heard of many of this boy's exploits, and there was no question that he was highly skilled, but surely he could not pose a risk to an elder of the Joketsuzoku! No, Cologne must have chosen to be overly cautious for once. She would have warned them, surely, if he were a threat that potent.

All the same, she felt troubled. Everyone had always assumed the long delay in securing this Ranma's marriage to Shampoo was due to the fool girl wanting him to fall in love, or some such nonsense. But now, this? The others might accept that Cologne knew what she was doing, but Lotion had a long history with the other woman, and she remembered times when things were not quite as Cologne had made them out to be. That whole affair with the Japanese martial artist, for example, back when they were teenagers. The one who had in the end stolen some of their most precious artifacts.

She didn't know why she was put in mind of that event, so long ago. But somehow, just like then, things weren't adding up, and Lotion had a serious dislike for sums she didn't understand. Especially when it came to the safety of her people.

* * *

Several hours passed before Mousse's growing hunger forced him to think about the fact that the two women weren't coming back. That if he didn't find some way out of the cage, he'd die of starvation, or more likely dehydration, long before they returned from China. He had never put much effort into looking for a way out before, as they had never locked him into it for long, and escape would surely have brought him something worse.

The duck pulled a pair of glasses out from some mysterious space under a wing and settled them over his eyes. Looking his prison over carefully, he quickly gave up any thought of attacking the padlock which held the metal grid in front closed. On the other hand, the body of the cage was made of plastic in two halves, with the top attached to the bottom. From some invisible location the duck extracted a small mirror with a long handle which he extended through the wire front, and observed the screws on the sides which held the two parts together. He pulled the mirror back in thoughtfully.

He next glanced up at the ceiling, studying the light fixture. With a satisfied nod, he pulled a hook out from under a wing, inserted it through the grill, and then shot it up toward the light trailing a chain behind it. The hook circled around the metal bracket which attached the light to the ceiling, and snagged on the trailing chain. Mousse quickly pulled tight, securing it.

He now started pulling. It was heavy work given his size and with limbs ill-suited to the task. Nonetheless the cage slowly slid across the floor until it was under the light, then began to rise into the air. It had almost reached the light when the tortured bracket ripped out of the ceiling, dropping everything back to the floor three meters below. With a crash the plastic cracked as screws popped out and flew away. With one more heave Mousse shoved the bottom off of the upside-down cage and leaped out into freedom.

He then faced the next obstacle. He was locked inside the restaurant, and quickly discovered that the gas and electricity had been turned off from somewhere outside. There was no hot water, and no means to heat any in the kitchen. Attempting to open the doors with his feet and wings revealed that they must have been padlocked from outside as well. The duck gave a quack of frustration.

Mousse speculatively eyed the single window in the back wall of the kitchen, now closed and locked. It was a small window in human terms, but large enough when compared to his cursed form. Flapping up to it, he hit it with a long knife, shattering the glass. He scraped the knife along the frame to remove all of the shards. With a quack of freedom, he flew through the opening.

At this point there seemed little sense in wasting time figuring out how to turn the gas and electricity back on. Mousse simply turned toward the Tendo residence and flew with a will. It was a matter of only a couple of minutes before he fluttered down to land on the engawa.

Ranma looked over from the television program he was watching. "Mousse? What're you doing here? Uh ..." The boy shook his head at the sight of the duck waddling back and forth, quacking urgently. He chuckled in a self-deprecating fashion. "Sorry. C'mon and follow me to the furo. After you take a dip in some hot water, maybe you can answer that question. I hope you're not looking for a fight though. I really ain't in the mood."

Ranma walked down the hall past the kitchen, where Kasumi was humming while taking care of some task. The duck waddled behind him as he opened the door into the changing room and then the bathing room. A few minutes effort filled the tub with enough hot water for Mousse to change, and Ranma handed him a yukata to cover himself.

"So what's up?" Ranma asked again.

Mousse gave him a long, unfriendly look. "It goes against the grain to betray my beloved Shampoo, especially to help you. Nonetheless I wish to stop her current scheme to marry you, especially as it may permit me to win her hand for myself." He folded his arms across his chest, hands disappearing up the opposing arms' sleeves.

Ranma sighed. "So what's she up to this time? Potions? Magic mushrooms? Ancient Amazon eyeglasses?"

"Cologne and Shampoo have kidnapped Akane Tendo and are on their way with her back to China."

For several seconds it simply didn't register. Then the blood drained from Ranma's face. "Nooo ..." he whispered, shaking his head as if he could negate such an occurrence by an act of will.

The young man swallowed heavily, struggling to regain control of himself. "No. She ... she's over at a friend's house."

Mousse lifted an eyebrow. "Is that some girl by the name of Yuka? I overheard Shampoo tell the old bat that she had bribed the girl to say that Akane was staying with her."

Ranma felt as if ice were crystallizing in his veins. It was taking all of his willpower to continue thinking. "They can't ... They wouldn't ... _Why_?"

"Because of you, of course," Mousse sneered. "The plan I overheard is that they will take Akane back to our village, where she is to be brainwashed. When they get back with her, she will reject you utterly. She will do everything she can to see that you marry Shampoo."

Ranma shook himself all over, looking disbelieving and less anxious. "You're lying. You gotta be. There's just no way ..." He trailed off, then his jaw set. "And I'm gonna prove it."

He turned and marched out of the room. Mousse followed closely behind, wondering what his rival was up to. A matter of seconds brought them to the front hall, where Ranma lifted the receiver of the telephone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Yuka? Oh, hello Mrs. Sawaguchi. This is Ranma, uh, Ranma Saotome. Yes," sigh, "Akane's fiancé. Can I ... no, wait ... yeah, hi Yuka. I was just wondering, is Akane all right? Oh, good. Can I speak to her?" His face paled. "What do you mean, she stepped out a few minutes ago? Where'd she go? ... Well, when do you expect her back? ... So would it be all right if I came over and waited? ... I _see_." The last word was said through gritted teeth, as were the next ones. "Thanks, Yuka. You've been a real _friend_. Good-bye." He hung up the phone.

Ranma turned back to Mousse, his face deathly. "Seems like you were right."

"So what do you plan to do, Saotome?" The Chinese boy was gazing at him fixedly.

Ranma replied as if the other boy were crazy to even ask. "Go after them of course. Get her back." His voice cracked. "I - I gotta get her back. Before they do anything to her. Oh, God. If they've done anything to hurt her ..."

It was Mousse's turn to pale at the quietly menacing tone which filled Ranma's voice with these last words. He had, after all, been present at Jusendo mountain when the other boy had battled and killed the immortal phoenix Saffron. He suddenly wondered whether providing this information to Ranma had been the wisest course to follow, or whether he had just deeply endangered Shampoo's life.

Ranma continued to speak quietly. "I got no idea where to find Ryoga, and I doubt Akane would want him coming to her rescue anyway. After what Ukyo said yesterday, I'm pretty sure she won't help either. Pop would probably do something stupid, or get in the way at just the wrong moment. Look at what having him along at Jusendo did, though I guess that wasn't exactly his fault. No, I guess I'm just gonna have to do this on my own."

Mousse stared at him. "What are you talking about, Saotome? I'm coming with you."

Ranma looked at him with a twisted grin. "Like hell you are. You're one of 'em. I wanna thank you for telling me about this, but ... you're Joketsuzoku. I can't trust you. I can't afford to. If it comes down to me or them, you might choose them at the wrong moment. Sorry, but you're staying behind."

The Chinese martial artist glared, baring his teeth. "Like hell I am. Besides, have you forgotten that you're going to China? Just how were you planning to ask anyone questions? If you'll remember, Plum and I took care of all the talking during our last little jaunt."

"Doesn't mean I couldn't have," Ranma replied in accented but understandable Chinese. Mousse stared, wide-eyed, forcing a chuckle from the other boy. "Ever since I came to Nerima, I knew I'd probably go back someday to try to find a cure for my curse. I've been studying Chinese on my own. I didn't let anyone know because I was afraid the old ghoul would consider it one more reason to try to force me to marry Shampoo."

Ranma switched back to Japanese. "So you see, I don't really need you. And you're not going with me." He turned and walked off down the engawa toward the family room.

Mousse trailed quickly behind. "I don't particularly care whether you want me along or not, Saotome! There's no way you can force me to stay! We can go together, or we can go separately, but I am going!"

Ranma turned back toward him, a sad smile of regret on his face. "I was afraid you'd see it like that. Moko Takabisha!" The chi blast lifted Mousse off of his feet and hurled him out into the yard, where he slammed into a tree. His body fell limply to the ground. Ranma hefted him over a shoulder and carried him back into the house and up the stairs. He dumped the boy on the floor in the guest room.

"Sorry, Mousse," he told the unhearing figure at his feet. "But I just can't take the chance you'll interfere." He looked around himself. "I'm glad that Pop and Mom decided to go out this afternoon. I can be packed and gone before they get back. Hmm. Need to take care of a couple of other things as well."

Ranma dug out some of his father's sake, and slowly poured a couple of bottles down Mousse's throat. Hopefully that would keep the Chinese boy incapacitated at least until the following morning. Next he went down the hall to Nabiki's room. Silently praying that he wasn't going to regret this for the rest of his life, he concentrated hard for a minute, then ripped the door off of her safe. He counted out a sizable stack of money, then wrote an I.O.U. and left it on top of the remaining pile of yen notes.

His pack was quickly filled, a task at which he had considerable practice, albeit not quite as much in the past two years. He stopped in the kitchen long enough to tell a startled Kasumi that he was off to find Akane and not to worry, then he was gone. A quick stop at the Nekohanten showed that the place was locked up tight with the exception of a broken window in back, and that the electricity and gas had been turned off. He grimly headed for the train station.

There it didn't take long to find a couple of employees who remembered the two Chinese women. Both Cologne and Shampoo were fairly memorable, after all. It was no surprise to learn that they had purchased tickets for Niigata, and the young man grew even more grim at the tale that they were accompanied by a Japanese girl in her late teens, who wore her black hair short. Ranma purchased his own ticket for the west coast, but was utterly unable to relax in his luxurious seat aboard the train.

‹I swear to God, they're going to pay for this. There is no way they're getting away with it. And if they've harmed one hair on her head ...› He was unable to complete the thought, fear rising up to choke off his desire for vengeance.

* * *

Mousse was discovered in the Tendo guest room that evening, but no one could manage to rouse him to a point where he could do more than mumble incoherently. The smell of alcohol on his breath was strong. They reluctantly decided to let him sleep it off and wait until morning to get answers.

Nabiki spent the night in a tearing fury, swearing that Ranma would regret the day he was born. The transparent lie he had told Kasumi about going off in search of Akane, who was staying at her friend Yuka's, only made things worse. Nabiki put out phone calls to various informers to see if she could determine where he was, thereby learning that he had taken a train to Niigata. She reluctantly put aside her vengeance to wait for his return, assuming that he did return.

In Niigata, Ranma had learned the name of a ship on which two Chinese women had boarded, one old and the other young. Most tellingly, the younger girl had purple hair. They were also reported to have carried a large chest on board with them. Ranma ground his teeth on hearing this, imagining how Akane must be suffering at their hands. Unwilling to lose time by swimming, Ranma booked passage on a ship himself, even though it wasn't leaving until shortly after dawn.

Ranma spent most of that night sitting with his back to a wall, huddled in a blanket, looking out over the sea. Bright stars twinkled in the sky overhead, managing to shine through the glow cast by the city behind him. This close to the water it had naturally proved useless to try to stay male, and his female body was just one more irritant, though almost negligible beside his other worries. Ranma was fighting his imagination, trying not to picture things which Shampoo might be doing to Akane. He tried to console himself with the thought that they'd have to keep her in fairly good shape for the plan which Mousse had relayed to him. Assuming, of course, that Mousse had understood them correctly.

In its own way, this waiting was as bad as those terrible hours at Jusendo. Then, he had been first convinced that Akane was dead, that he had lost her forever. After that, he had been totally focused on the one chance she had left to live again. He had been thrown back into utter despair when it seemed like he had failed, only to be elated to discover that she was alive again.

Unfortunately that experience had changed nothing between them. Or, if not quite nothing, then too little. He had still been unable to tell her the truth, how he felt. He'd been unable to figure out a way to put an end to all the problems surrounding them.

Ranma's thoughts were spiraling out of control. The thought of tortures she might be suffering, the possibility that he might never see her again ... His fists clenched at his sides, he turned shimmering eyes up to face the blurred stars.

Suddenly the red-haired girl was on his feet, blanket cast aside, unable to bear the constriction in his chest any longer. He shouted into the empty night. "No! It won't end like this! It won't! I swear to God, I'll get her back, whatever it takes! And then nobody better ever come between us again! I'm gonna tell her I _love_ her! I swear I will! And to _hell_ with the consequences!"

With tears running down his cheeks, he whispered, "Please come back to me, Akane. Please be all right."

His voice choked off, hoarse. Ranma fell limply back to sit on the ground again, and it was a long time before the girl moved to pick the blanket up and pull it around himself once more.

No one else was sleeping very peacefully that night either. Ukyo had gotten drunk on purpose. Cologne and Shampoo were separately wondering how well this plan was going to work. The members of the Tendo household were puzzled over the presence of an intoxicated Mousse and the absence of Ranma, and Nabiki was planning various tortures to inflict upon the pigtailed boy for daring to steal from her.

Several kilometers away, Akane was having an equally uneasy night. It wasn't only the difficulty of sleeping in an unfamiliar bed that bothered her. More troublesome were the questions she had about Ranma and herself, what she really wanted from her life and the fiancé who had been thrust upon her. They were issues she had avoided contemplating for a long time, and it would have been much easier to go on avoiding them.

Another concern for her was the image she had seen in the mirror earlier. The look the desk clerk had given her when she checked in had been unnerving. Akane was nagged by worry over whether the bruises would fade quickly enough. Yuka couldn't keep up the pretense for more than a couple of nights, and if the marks were still blatant when she returned home, well, she'd really rather not imagine the reactions.

* * *

The night gradually faded into the glow of dawn. As the sun crept above the horizon a ship pulled out to sea with a young martial artist aboard, standing by a railing at the bow as if he could urge it to travel faster. Elsewhere, Kasumi Tendo arose from her bed and prepared breakfast for all of the members of the household, guests included. Mousse finally woke up, rolled over, turned green, and jumped to his feet. Unsure in his disorientation how to find the bathroom, he barely made it to the window before emptying his stomach, then sank to the floor holding his head in agony. Belatedly he hoped that no one had been standing below the window.

Not very much later, but long enough for a disgruntled Soun Tendo to bathe, Mousse joined the Tendo and Saotome families at the breakfast table. He held a cup of tea clutched between both hands, while he desperately tried to avoid seeing, or even smelling, the food on the table.

Nabiki inhaled her first cup of coffee, jump starting her higher brain functions. While drinking a more leisurely second cup, she turned to their uninvited and unexpected overnight guest. "So what's the story, Mousse?" she asked bluntly, pitching her voice a little louder than usual.

The Chinese boy winced, hesitating to speak. He just _knew_ that someone would raise his or her voice, and he was afraid that it might cause his head to split open. All the same, he saw that he was the center of attention as everyone waited to hear what he had to say. He gave a sigh and prepared for the worst.

"Yesterday, Cologne and Shampoo abducted your sister Akane. They are taking her to China. Ranma has gone in pursuit." There, that seemed to cover it.

"What?!" Soun Tendo screeched, manifesting a demon head. Mousse gave a scream of his own, dropped his tea, and clapped his hands over his ears in a desperate attempt to silence the ringing.

Nabiki appeared as serene as ever on the surface, but she was making a sudden reevaluation of Ranma's actions in light of this new information. There was a slight tremor in her voice as she spoke. "I see. And you remained behind and got drunk, because ...?"

Mousse flushed brightly, but was forced by his own incapacity to speak softly. "I promise you it wasn't my idea. Ranma did not wish me to accompany him. I tried to insist. He ... made sure that I did not."

"Why?" Soun demanded loudly, causing the nearsighted martial artist to wince again. "What are they planning to do to my little girl?"

Mousse quietly retold the story of taking Akane back to the village of the Joketsuzoku to brainwash her, before returning to have her help in securing Ranma as Shampoo's husband.

Nabiki stared at him. "Now wait just a minute. That doesn't make any sense. I mean, they'd be gone for _weeks_, right? Yuka couldn't pretend for that long. So eventually we'd figure out she was gone, long before they all came back. With Cologne and Shampoo missing as well, it would be a pretty good bet that they were involved." She shook her head. "They'd never get away with it. And Cologne isn't stupid."

Everyone except for the serene Kasumi was staring at her. Mousse's jaw was slack. "But ... but ... I _heard_ them! I was listening outside the window! I know what I heard!"

The middle Tendo sister pursed her lips. "And it never occurred to you that you might have heard exactly what they wanted you to hear? That you might have been set up? I swear, do any of you martial artist types ever stop to _think_? You, Ranma, Kuno, Ryoga, my little sister ... You're all so blasted _gullible_!"

"But what could they be planning instead?" her father asked.

Nabiki shrugged. "Not enough clues to be certain. But I'd be willing to bet anything it involves some sort of trap to snare Ranma as Shampoo's husband. Akane ... I'm not sure I want to think about what they might intend to do with Akane. Hopefully she'll be ... be all right until they spring the trap."

The young woman looked at the appalled faces around her. "Hey cheer up! I may think of Ranma as a dumb jock, but he's damn good at getting himself out of tight places. He and Akane have survived an awful lot of nasty things before. They'll be all right. I'm ... sure of it."

"I must go after them," Mousse said seriously. Despite the words, his eyes were squeezed tightly closed against the pain which filled his head.

"You can barely stand, boy," Genma boomed. "Not to mention I have my doubts whose side you'd be on. _I'll_ go after my son myself."

The Chinese boy grunted something under his breath, then added. "I had this same argument with Ranma! What is wrong with you Saotome males? I don't _want_ my Shampoo to marry Ranma. I'll do whatever is needed to prevent that!"

Nabiki asked innocently, "So tell me, Uncle Saotome, have you learned to speak or read Chinese yet?"

"Humph!" was his response. "Don't see any reason that should be necessary. I'm perfectly capable of handling this on my own, and ..."

He stopped as his wife laid a hand on his arm. Genma swallowed nervously as the fingertips of her other hand brushed along her silk-wrapped katana. "Husband ... dear ... our son may be in trouble. Don't you think you should accept help from a native guide?"

"I ... er ... yes, I suppose so," he finished meekly.

Nabiki hid her amusement while she continued trying to think straight, for her sister's sake. "May I suggest that the two of you take a little time and do things right? They already have a big head start on you, but nothing's to be gained by running off without thinking things through. Mousse, you're going to need more time to recover. Uncle Saotome, you should take the time to pack carefully, as well as giving all of us a chance to pool some money together to finance this little jaunt. That will also give me some time to check with various sources and see if there's anything else to be learned which might help."

Mousse, despite his own desires in the matter, really was in no shape to jump up and run off at once, and Genma allowed Nodoka - and Nodoka's katana - to persuade him as to the wisdom of Nabiki's counsel. Mousse rested throughout the morning and early afternoon, drinking a special tea Kasumi prepared for him. Nabiki, Soun and Nodoka pooled additional money for the trip which, after a hasty conference, they elected to entrust to Mousse instead of Genma. There was one difficult moment when Nabiki found herself unable to hand over the money she brought downstairs, and her father found that he could not pull it from her grip. It wasn't until Kasumi took it in hand that Nabiki was finally able to let go.

She gave her sister a sheepish grimace, passing as a smile. "Sorry. Habit."

"I know," the eldest Tendo daughter murmured back gently.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon and Nabiki had barely returned from shopping for camping supplies with the two fathers, when Mousse announced he was going over to the Nekohanten to pack for the trip. This made Nabiki think about the other restaurant Ranma liked to frequent, and she wondered whether Ukyo might be willing to help on this little expedition. With that in mind, and without telling anyone else what she was about, she went over to Ucchan's to find out.

However, she paused just outside the door, suddenly having second thoughts. Was this really such a great idea? Ukyo was a rival of Akane's for Ranma, after all. On the other hand, unlike the other two rivals, she was a lot more stable and reasonable in outlook. Besides, Nabiki was already there, and there was probably no harm going in to see. So taking a breath, she pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Ukyo's pretty waitress Konatsu greeted her. "Hello, Nabiki-san! What may I get you today?"

Nabiki smiled, amused by the sight of the male patrons gazing appreciatively at Konatsu without ever guessing that he was male underneath the dress. "I'll take a shrimp okonomiyaki, but what I'd really like is to talk to Ukyo." She walked over and took a seat at the counter.

Ukyo looked up from her grill and regarded Nabiki with little favor. "Is there something I can do for you, Tendo-san?"

The one addressed raised an eyebrow, but let the frosty tone pass. "Well, I suppose you could start by cooking my order for me. But the reason I'm here is to talk to you about Ranma."

The chef's eyebrows lowered. "And what makes you think that I would want to talk to you, or anyone else, about Ranma Saotome?"

Nabiki raised her other eyebrow. "What, not Ran-chan? Did you two have a fight or something?"

Ukyo stared suspiciously, then turned back to her grill. "He didn't tell you?"

"Afraid not," Nabiki admitted. "I haven't heard about it from anyone else, either, whatever it is. Which is really rather surprising."

Ukyo's knuckles whitened on the spatula she held. Her voice betrayed nothing, except perhaps by its careful control. "He made it clear that he preferred your sister over me. Told me flat out that he couldn't live without her."

Nabiki's jaw dropped, causing Ukyo to snort in grim amusement. The middle Tendo sister struggled mightily to deal with what she had heard. Apparently, Ranma had finally made a decision. He had come right out and told one of his would-be suitors that he wanted Akane. It was ... very nearly unbelievable.

"Well, that's ... unexpected," she finally got out. Nabiki shook her head, forcing her attention back to the matter at hand. "Then I guess ... you might not be interested ..." She sighed. "It seems that Ranma has taken off after the Amazons, without realizing that they're leading him straight into a trap. A trap which they've baited with my little sister. I came here wondering if you might be willing to help."

Ukyo gave her a hard look, then turned her head, unwilling to meet her eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, he can go to hell." She took a deep breath. "Look, I don't really want Ranma to be captured by the Amazons. For that matter, I don't want them to do anything to Akane either. But you can't ask me ... not after ... look, I have a business to run here! I can't just up and run off. I'd go bankrupt, I'd lose everything!"

Nabiki sighed. "I understand. I just ... well, I didn't know the situation when I walked in here. I thought you'd want to know, to have the chance ..." She sighed again. "I'm sorry. Really."

A throat cleared itself nearby. The two girls turned to see Konatsu standing there, regarding them seriously. "Ukyo-sama, you and Ranma-sama saved me from my wicked step-family. For that matter, Akane-sama was involved as well. If they are in danger ..." He took a deep breath. "I am sorry that you are upset with Ranma-sama, but may I have your permission to go to his rescue?"

Ukyo stared at her employee. It was true that his presence drew in additional customers, for which she only paid him a pittance, but his absence wouldn't cost her _that_ much revenue. Also, she was feeling just a little ashamed about her own refusal to help, however justified it was. Finally she managed to ask, "Are you sure?"

Konatsu nodded. "Yes, Ukyo-sama. It has been a great pleasure to work for you here, to repay your kindness in helping me and ... for other reasons. But I have never had the chance to properly repay Ranma-sama for _his_ help. I wish to do this."

Ukyo nodded her permission, not trusting herself to speak. Konatsu turned to look inquiringly at Nabiki.

"Ranma's father and Mousse will be leaving from the Tendo dojo in the morning. Come over in the morning, or better yet, tonight, with your pack and whatever supplies you need to go with them to China. They expect to leave shortly after dawn."

With a final exchange of polite words, Nabiki paid for her okonomiyaki, picked up the box, and left the restaurant.

* * *

Akane found the peace and quiet uncomfortable, not being accustomed to it, but it served the purpose for which she had sought such a place. In the absence of distractions, she was finally able to think about things she had avoided contemplating over the last two years. The only disturbance to her meditations had occurred when she returned from her morning jog. The maid had obviously come in and tidied up. Lying in plain sight in the middle of the newly made bed had been a pamphlet, which proved on closer inspection to contain advice for women who had been battered by husbands or boyfriends. Akane had flushed angrily and tossed it into the trash.

The young woman had decided early on that the beating she had suffered should not be allowed to influence her decisions. Either she wanted to try to make things work with Ranma, in which case she refused to let Shampoo's threats stop her, or she was going to break things off finally. No threat was going to make her throw away anything that she truly wanted, or make her cling with stubborn pride to something which would never work out.

As Akane relaxed in a Jacuzzi that evening, it seemed as if her thoughts slowly crystallized. As if many things which had been floating below the surface of her conscious mind rose up and fit together into a seamless whole. She thought about her feelings for Ranma, and the aching pain each time she imagined giving him up. She thought about the small ways in which Ranma showed his affection, the way he held her hand in private, the times that his eyes turned gentle. She spent time thinking about the way he had been raised, something she had never spent much time considering before, and felt herself coming to a new understanding of some of her fiancé's behavior.

Sitting there in the Jacuzzi, reflecting on all of these things, Akane finally remembered Ranma's words when he had at last truly started sparring with her. When he began preparing her to face Shampoo, though she had paid little heed to his insistence on the necessity. Ranma had said then that she needed to be willing to fight for what she wanted. Not necessarily with fists, but willing to do whatever it took to win.

She felt it in her soul, the time for indecisiveness was past. Akane gave a stern nod, her face firming with resolution as her mind locked onto that thought. Words forced themselves from her throat, whispered, but fierce for all of that. "Whatever it takes. I love him. And I'm sure that he loves me. I'm going to make him mine, whatever it takes. I'm going to make him mine. I'm a student of Anything Goes, and you'd better get out of my way Shampoo, because the real battle starts _now_."

She stood suddenly, water streaming off of her body. Akane toweled herself vigorously, then returned to her room and packed most of her stuff away again to be ready to leave in the morning. She crawled beneath the covers for one last night's sleep in that room, her thoughts wholly focused on Nerima and what she would say to Ranma in the morning when she saw him.

* * *

Konatsu awoke first, and then Mousse, both of them accustomed in their roles as menial laborers to early rising and the need to start their chores. They had been given a space at the Tendo home, sharing the room with Ranma's father. As they dressed, the two boys eyed the older man, snoring away as if he would sleep till noon. Mousse hefted his pack onto his shoulders, appeared to think it over, began to set it back down, then put it back on decisively. He leaned over Genma Saotome and started to shake the man, calling his name.

Genma came awake muzzily, to see the dim figure of a boy leaning over him. It fit into a familiar pattern and the man responded almost instinctively. He grabbed Mousse's arm and shirt and, with a mighty heave, tossed him through the window, pack and all. The Chinese boy had time for one startled cry before he vanished under the surface of the koi pond.

Konatsu looked out the window at the duck as it struggled free of its clothing. "Why did you do that, Saotome-san?"

Genma's thoughts were finally coming online as he muttered, "Eh, what? Wait a minute? Ranma's not here. Who was that?"

"Mousse," the young ninja replied succinctly.

The older man climbed off of his futon and crossed over to the window to look outside as well. His features shifted from confusion to a scowl. "Aw, crap," was all he said as he jumped out of the window.

Mousse made his own way out of the pond and headed indoors in search of hot water, which Kasumi supplied. Genma fetched the boy's clothing and pack out of the pond, but everything had been thoroughly soaked. The clothing went straight into the laundry to be washed and dried, while the remaining items in the pack were spread out to dry. As a result, they were some hours late getting started, and it was not until well after nine in the morning that the three men said their good-byes and trudged out to the gate.

Genma flung open the gate and immediately pulled up short. Akane Tendo was standing there, and her extended arm showed that she had been reaching for the gate when it had suddenly opened. A moment's silence hung in the air, before it vanished into bedlam.

* * *

"Would everyone please be quiet!" Akane bellowed. She was kneeling at the table in the family room, her head in her hands, the peace and quiet she had found at the inn now firmly in the past. The young woman was surrounded by her sisters, father, Ranma's parents and, for some reason, Mousse and Konatsu, all of whom were firing questions at her at the top of their lungs. None of them had paused for breath the entire time that they were bustling her inside from the gate, not even Kasumi.

The volume of the demand did get them to shut up for a moment, albeit Genma trailed on for several seconds after everyone else. Akane shook her head and added, "Sheesh, I wasn't gone _that_ long! What's with you guys? You act like I've been gone weeks - months - instead of a couple of days." She glanced around, bit her lip, tried not to betray the intensity of her interest in the answer to the next question. "By the way, where's that baka fiancé of mine?"

"Akane, daughter, where _were_ you?" Soun asked pleadingly, tears evident in the quaver of his voice.

His daughter looked down sheepishly. "I guess you didn't buy the story that I was at Yuka's house, huh? Well, there's not really much to tell. I ... needed to get away for a couple of days. Away from everything. So I asked Yuka to pretend that I was staying with her. Instead I headed out to the northwest, ended up in Niiza. Got a room in some little place. I caught a bus back this morning."

"Who else knew about this little vacation?" Nabiki asked coolly. There was something disturbing about the question to Akane's ear.

"No one," Akane answered easily although somewhat bewildered. "Just Yuka. I told her she could tell Sayuri. That's it. Why?"

"_Somebody_ else knew," Nabiki responded. One could almost hear the wheels turning in her brain.

"What's going on?" Akane asked, starting to worry. "And where's Ranma? He isn't, uh, he isn't out searching for me, is he?" She winced, imagining how upset he'd be when he got home, worried that she had disappeared, only to discover that she had been safe all along.

Genma reached out and placed a finger under Akane's chin, lifting slightly. His voice rumbled, "Before we answer that, suppose you tell us who worked you over?"

Akane flushed, making the bruises stand out more vividly. In a quiet voice, she asked, "Do I ... look that bad?"

Kasumi started to say something reassuring, but Genma held up his hand. His gruff voice answered her. "Aren't you the one who's always saying you're a martial artist? Are you ashamed of your bruises? Whatsa matter? Too dainty to want people to know you been in a fight?"

Akane pressed her lips together and glared angrily, while Genma continued speaking. "I wasn't too sure of you at first, y'know. But you turned out to be a tough little thing. Tough enough to heal fast, like me and m'boy, and these two numbskulls." He hooked a thumb toward Mousse and Konatsu. "So yeah, you've healed up a bit, but I ain't so blind I can't see what your face musta looked like a couple days ago. So who did it?"

Akane sighed, surprised to find her anger half gone. "Shampoo," she answered quietly. Then she looked up, eyes blazing. "But I've already made up my mind. There's no way I'm going to let her win."

Genma nodded. Kasumi gasped as the implication sank in. Nabiki looked at her older sister, then her own eyes widened. Konatsu and Nodoka smiled smugly, but it seemed to go over Soun's head. Mousse was too busy wondering whether to get angry over the statement that Shampoo would not be allowed to win something, to think clearly over what was meant.

As the others struggled to process this bombshell, Akane looked her fiancé's father in the eye, and asked firmly. "So where _is_ Ranma?"

He made no attempt to soften the blow. "Chasing you. Or so he thinks. Halfway to China by now, I suppose. He thought the Amazons had taken you."

Akane just stared blankly at him for several long seconds as she struggled to comprehend what she had been told. When it finally got through, she realized with bleak certainty that her own disappearance had provided an opportunity which had been used to trick Ranma. To trap him. The room started to spin around her.

"None o' that." Genma reached out and slapped her lightly across the face. Nabiki gave an angry bark and grabbed his hand, while Nodoka lifted her katana from the floor and seized the hilt. Soun's eyes flashed as he prepared to use his demon head technique on his old friend. Genma leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, scowling.

"Stop it Nabiki, Daddy. Please, Auntie Nodoka. It's ... my fault. If I hadn't vanished, Ranma wouldn't have ... gone looking for me. I ... I ..." She started looking around the room, a little wildly. "I have to go after him. I have to get him back."

"We are already preparing to do so, Akane-sama." It was Konatsu, speaking for the first time. "We are packed, and were about to leave when you returned home. We will find Ranma-sama and return him here." For the first time, Akane took in the fact that Konatsu was dressed in his full ninja rig.

"All three of us are going," Mousse confirmed this. "Saotome, Konatsu and myself. I have no intention of allowing them to marry Ranma to my Shampoo."

"All _four_ of us," Akane stated defiantly. "I'm going too!"

This quickly set off a barrage of protests. Her father, Kasumi, Nabiki, Nodoka, and Mousse all said various things along the themes of asking if she were crazy, telling her that she couldn't possibly mean to go, suggesting that it would be much too dangerous. Only Konatsu and Genma held their tongues. Konatsu was looking at Akane in worry, but didn't feel it was his place to speak.

Akane was still angrily telling everyone that she was _so_ going after Ranma, when Genma stood up, drawing everyone's eyes. He looked meaningfully at Akane. "You aren't dressed for hiking. That little pack you had with you doesn't have the right supplies, or nearly enough. I'm leaving in one hour. With or without you." He turned and walked out onto the engawa, leaving everyone staring at his back.

Akane threw off her stupor, jumping to her feet and running up to her room. She had no doubt that Ranma's father meant exactly what he said, which didn't leave her much time to get ready. Her mind was already racing down the supplies she would need and where they were stored around the house.

Soun stalked out after his old ... well, he wasn't sure if he wanted to refer to him as a _friend_ right now. "What are you up to, Saotome? You can't drag my baby girl off to China to face those Amazons!"

Genma turned and looked him over slowly. "Tendo, I know she's only a girl, but, y'know ..." He paused thoughtfully. "She didn't do so bad the last time she was in China. You want those two to get married, right?"

Soun nodded suspiciously, unsure of where this was going.

Genma continued, speaking softly, not really wanting others to hear him saying these things. "I've been doing a lot of thinking about it lately. Talked it over with Nodoka a bit, too. I think part of the problem is I raised the boy to be _so_ good, he has trouble respecting most people 'cause he's so much better'n them. It's been hard for him to think of Akane as a _partner_, which is what he needs in a wife, not some simpering little girl who'll do as she's told and only cares about flower arranging and tea ceremonies and crap. Your Akane's got it in her, and she's even shown him so a time or two, but m'boy's got a thick skull. He needs to have it really knocked into him. This is her chance to prove to him, once and for all, that she's the proper heir to the Tendo dojo and the one who's right for him."

Genma paused, looked his friend in the eye, then asked, "Or don't you believe she's your proper heir?"

Soun swallowed hard, bit his lip, looked away. "If ... if something happened to her, I couldn't ... she's the one who reminds me most of Kimiko, you know." His face got a dreamy look on it. "When I remember how that tomboy used to whack me upside the head. And how she used to poison me before she finally learned how to cook." His eyes turned sad again. "I couldn't bear to lose Akane, too."

Genma slapped him on the back. "You're not going to lose her. I'll be there, after all. So will those other two lads. And when we catch up with Ranma, well he won't let anything happen to her, you bet. We'll keep her safe for you."

"You promise?" It was asked breathily, begging for reassurance.

"Of course, Tendo. Now why don't you go help your daughter pack, say a proper good-bye, and give her a bit of reassurance?"

Soun nodded, essaying a small smile before he turned and strode away. As he watched the other man disappear, Genma's own cheerful smile vanished, and his eyes were worried as he turned back to look outside.

* * *

They didn't quite make Genma's deadline, but only because Kasumi and Nodoka refused to let Akane go without a proper meal and asking several times if she was certain of her decision. Nodoka grew tearful while saying farewell to her future daughter-in-law, though nowhere near so badly as Soun. For his part, Genma was a bit disgruntled to see his wife fussing over Akane so much while barely sparing him a glance. He also chafed as his deadline came and went and there seemed to be no end to the dithering. Finally, Akane herself cut it off, firmly saying a final good-bye and marching out the gate.

Genma growled at the two boys, demanding to know what they were waiting for as he quickly followed. They grabbed their packs and stepped through the gate right behind him. Thus the four of them began the walk toward the train station.

Genma looked his companions over carefully. They all worried him, each in his or her own way. Mousse would probably manage well enough, and wouldn't concern him too much until they came near some of his own people. At that point he would have to worry about the possibility of betrayal. As for Akane and Konatsu, he knew they were tough enough in the short term, but he had no idea how either would hold up over the long haul.

They turned along the street that ran beside the canal. The older man suddenly bellowed, "Okay! Everyone up on the fence, and let's start moving faster!" Suiting action to words he leaped atop the fence and started off at a trot. Then he stopped, looking back at the three faces staring up at him from the sidewalk. "Well? Get your butts up here!"

Konatsu shrugged, used to obedience. He jumped up behind Genma and balanced there. Mousse was not so quick to obey, instead asking, "Why? It's easier to walk down here."

Genma planted his fists at his waist. "Fool boy. If we're lucky, we'll catch up to Ranma while he's still on his own. If we're not, he may already be in the middle of a pack of your people. But even if it's only Shampoo and Cologne, they're what ... the current champion of your village and the most dangerous martial artist around? Well, with the possible exception of my old master."

"So?" Mousse inquired.

"So ..." Genma replied sweetly, before shifting to a shout. "We need to be ready to face them, idiot! There is not going to be one waking moment along this trip when you're not going to be doing training of one sort or another! Now get up here!"

Mousse scowled, but jumped. He wobbled for a moment before gaining his balance, and gave Genma a defiant stare.

"Um ... even me?" Akane asked quietly.

Genma's eyes narrowed. "You'll either be ready to fight, or you'll be a handicap. And I ain't putting up with any handicaps. Your choice. Your home's back that way." He pointed.

Akane's face reddened. Without saying another word, she jumped onto the fence in front of him, there being no more room behind where the two boys were standing. To Genma's surprise, she didn't wobble. She sniffed her nose and told him, "Fine. Then let's get going." Thanking Ranma silently for the clandestine training they'd been doing, she took off at a trot.

Genma raised an eyebrow, then started off after her. They were immediately followed by the two boys. The man watched the girl in front of him for a minute, sizing up her sense of balance, then nodded.

"Faster, girl! This ain't some stroll through the park!"

Akane gritted her teeth and sped up. While she ran she wondered whether Ranma's father would live long enough to see his son rescued.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Will Ranma catch up to Cologne and Shampoo before they make it back to their village? Will Akane and the others catch up to Ranma before he reaches Cologne and Shampoo? The answers await in chapter 3.

In my author's note to chapter 1, I said that this story would have eleven chapters. In looking over the final chapters, I decided that dramatic requirements necessitated changing the chapter divisions. Thus there will now be twelve chapters, as chapters 9-11 have turned into somewhat shorter chapters 9-12.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	3. Cross China Chase

**Fighting Chance  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. At the end of a chase across China, will one person be able to defeat the odds and win her heart's desire?

* * *

**Chapter 3. Cross China Chase**

It took Ranma a little less than two days to pick up Shampoo's and Cologne's trail out of Shanghai, and he was thankful for managing it that quickly. At least the combination of an old woman and a purple-haired teenager attracted notice at the train station, so that they didn't simply fade into the background among the rest of the Chinese natives. The cashier who remembered them did not recollect Akane's presence, but that didn't surprise the young man too greatly. Akane wouldn't be nearly at memorable as the other two at a quick glance, even if Japanese people were a little conspicuous here.

At any rate, he had to hope that Cologne had kept Akane beside her and hadn't done anything else with ... to ... well, he just had to hope. Akane was certainly still with Cologne and Shampoo _if_ Mousse had understood the plan correctly, but the young martial artist was nervous about putting too much trust in what the Chinese boy reported he had overheard. Not that there was any real reason to think otherwise, but he'd seen Mousse thoroughly confused on other occasions. Ranma could only pray the nearsighted martial artist had it right this time, while trying unsuccessfully to choke off his imagination's insistence on presenting other possibilities.

A couple of days after Shanghai, still on the trail of the three women, Ranma stopped in a little roadside diner in the middle of nowhere. If the report yesterday had been accurate, the Amazons were going in this general direction. Somebody might have seen them even if they didn't stop in here to eat, and it was a good spot to grab a bite of lunch for himself.

Ranma sat on a stool and watched the proprietor approach from further down the counter, where he had just served a bowl of something to someone else. The man was balding and appeared to be around fifty or so, and probably fairly prosperous by the standards of the local area. While he didn't look very friendly, neither was he wearing the sort of scowl which would suggest an intention to kick Ranma out regardless of his ability to pay.

"You got money?" the man asked in gruff Chinese.

Ranma frowned, but pulled a few notes out of a pocket where he had stored them separately from the rest of his cash. The man nodded and asked, a little less gruffly, "What'll you have?"

Ranma decided to remain polite since he was still hoping to get some answers. "A bowl of chicken ramen and black tea, please."

The man cocked his head slightly at the accent, but didn't comment. "Any particular brand of tea?"

"Whatever you've got that's good," the boy answered.

The meal arrived in short order and Ranma carefully counted out the amount requested. The ramen was a bit thin but not too bad, and the tea was actually very good. As he finished it up, he waved to attract the attention of the fellow who had served him. The older man took the time to finish serving another customer, paused on the way over to stir a pot, and finally came over to stand in front of Ranma.

"What'cha want kid?" he asked. He seemed less unfriendly now, probably because Ranma had paid for his meal and had not, so far, caused any trouble.

Ranma plastered a hopeful look on his face. "I was wondering if you might be able to help me. My fiancée is traveling with a couple of friends and should have passed through here, heading west. I'm hoping to give them a surprise and meet up with them. I'm wondering how far I am behind them."

The man started shaking his head but Ranma continued anyway. "My fiancée is Japanese, of course. With short, black hair. One friends are Chinese, both women. One is very old, but healthy. Very feisty. The other is my age, likes to dress showy, and has purple hair."

At that, the restauranteur snorted, then nodded. "Yeah, I saw 'em. Couldn't miss that purple hair. Kids these days." He shook his head. "Didn't happen to notice that the other girl was Japanese. She was wearing a hat that hid a lot of her face. Her hair was black though, and short. They passed through yesterday, around five-ish. That all you wanted?"

Ranma stood up, smiling grimly. "Yeah. Thanks a lot. You've been a big help, and the meal was great."

As he walked out the door, Ranma was very pleased to know that he was on the right track. He was also greatly relieved to know that Akane was with the other two, and apparently still in reasonable health since the man hadn't noticed anything unusual. It sounded a lot more definite than the tentative responses he'd received previously. It seemed he could put aside his fears that Cologne might have ... disposed ... of Akane somewhere along the way.

Ranma wasn't sure which nightmare had frightened him more. The mental image of a shallow unmarked grave filled him with raw fright. But it terrified him in a different and more disturbing way to imagine an Akane weakened by drugs or some secret Amazon technique, then sold to a bordello. His spirit was greatly lifted to be given confirmation that she really was still in front of him, still in one piece.

All the same, he had to catch up as quickly as possible. The young martial artist concentrated on getting more speed out of his tired legs.

Meanwhile, some thirty kilometers to the west, Cologne glanced over toward the young Amazon marching between herself and Shampoo. "How are you holding up, Meifen?"

The girl tried to convert her grimace into a smile. "Well enough, elder. I am Joketsuzoku. I will not fail you."

Cologne managed a real smile. "I certainly hope you're right. I would rather not contemplate my son-in-law catching up with us before we gain reinforcements. Not that I think he could kill me, but I might be forced to kill him, which would rather defeat the purpose of this whole endeavor. Not to mention turning the last couple of years into a massively wasted effort."

After another few minutes, the old woman added, "By the way, I meant to congratulate you on how quickly you joined us. I had not thought to see the help I requested for a few more days."

The teenager flushed slightly. "That was pure chance. I was on my way back from Shanghai after making a delivery. I had western clothing for the purpose of that meeting. I assume you're aware I've performed several errands of the sort in the last year or so." Recognizing the irrelevance of the remark, she shrugged it away. "I called my older sister while I was on my way back, a couple of nights ago. She's due to deliver her first child any day, and I've been worried about her. It was then that elder Perfume told me to turn back, and to wait for you in Hangzhou."

Cologne nodded. "And your sister?"

Meifen smiled. "She's doing fine."

After a short pause, the young woman turned to Shampoo and asked, "Do I really look like her? That girl who is trying to steal your airen?"

Shampoo laughed and answered, "No. So stop worrying about it. That's why grandmother is making you wear that big hat, so no one gets a good look at your face. You're about the same age and height, and your hair is close to the same length. But that's all."

Cologne noted that Meifen was not completely reassured by the response, and guessed that she was worried Shampoo might unthinkingly view her in a negative light if the resemblance were too close. A concern which might have had some merit were it not that there was indeed only a slight similarity of appearance. The elder decided to change the subject. "If it would not offend you, I am curious about your name. How did your mother come to choose it? Or do you even know? I remember being mildly curious about it when you were born, but never took the trouble to ask her."

Shampoo stifled a chuckle while the young warrior blushed fiercely. It was an old sore point for her. She had taken much teasing over her name when younger, from girls with more traditional Joketsuzoku names, girls like Shampoo.

"You know that my father was an outsider, a member of the PLA who challenged my mother and managed to defeat her? Of course, she freely admits that she maneuvered him into the challenge. They have a very happy marriage, which is certainly a good thing from my point of view, but frankly my mother indulges him too much. Apparently he had, or has, a younger sister named Meifen whom he misses." She scowled blackly, no doubt thinking ill thoughts of this aunt she had never met.

"Ah, I see." Cologne felt for the young Amazon, forced to go through life with such a name, but there was little to be done about it at this late date. On the other hand, perhaps she could provide the girl with something else to worry about. The elder raised her head in an obvious manner, taking note of the sun's position.

"I do believe we've been taking it easy for long enough," Cologne announced. "It's time to put on a little more speed, children."

Both Meifen and Shampoo stared aghast as Cologne started moving ahead of them. Grimly, they moved their owns legs faster, first catching up and then settling into the new pace.

* * *

While planning where to begin their hunt, Mousse told the others of several people in Shanghai with whom the Joketsuzoku had business dealings from time to time. In particular, there was a café on the northwest side of the city whose owner was an old acquaintance of Cologne. After disembarking from the ship a bus took them across the city, but finding the café turned out to be no simple matter. Although Mousse had been there a few times with Cologne and Shampoo, he rarely wore his glasses and had only a vague notion of where the place was to be found. Several hours were spent in searching before they finally found the place.

"Remember to let me do the talking," Mousse reminded them as he pushed open the door and led the way inside.

He proceeded up to the counter and spoke briefly to a young man standing behind it. The one he addressed looked startled for a moment, then his eyebrows drew down angrily. He shouted something in Chinese and pointed at the door.

Akane sighed heavily and stepped up to the counter herself. She glared at Mousse and told him, in fiercely whispered Japanese, "Put your glasses on!"

She next turned to the young man behind the counter and gave him a smile that soon had him smiling goofily in return. In broken Chinese, Akane said, "We want find friends here days ago. Cologne. Shampoo. Maybe boy later. Help please?"

Mousse and Genma were both staring at Akane as if she had sprouted wings and started flying around the room. Konatsu looked as serene as ever. The young fellow on the other side of the counter cleared his throat, smiled again, then replied to Akane, "Let me get my grandmother."

As he disappeared through the door Mousse, now wearing his glasses, asked, "How long have you ...?"

Akane interrupted. "Later." She paused for another glare, then continued. "Mousse, if you want to do the talking, then you have to wear your glasses! You can't go around calling guys like that 'old woman' and still expect them to help us! We can't risk ... shh." Akane broke off as an old woman came out of the back, followed by her smiling grandson.

The woman looked them over. She wasn't smiling, but neither was she scowling. "I understand that you people are looking for Cologne and Shampoo." The statement was in Chinese, and once again Genma and Konatsu were left in the dark as to what was being said.

Mousse addressed the proper person this time. "Yes. I too am a member of the Joketsuzoku, an old friend of Shampoo's from when we were very young. We are all traveling back to the village, but if there is a chance of catching up to them before then we would like to try."

The woman unbent a little, even though she didn't seem capable of smiling. "Not much chance of that, young man. They only stopped in for a few minutes, said they were in a great hurry. That was three days ago." She glanced up at a clock on the wall. "Closer to four, really. And I doubt you lot can hope to match her speed when she's determined, let alone catch up."

"Even so ..." Mousse trailed off.

She shook her head. "Hmph! Well, she did say that there might be a young man asking after her. I suppose that's you. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I think I recognize you - you've been here with her before, haven't you?"

Mousse nodded and the old woman continued speaking. "She told me they'd be taking the train down to Hangzhou. After that they were going to set off cross country for a few days, till they came to a spot where they could board a freight train headed west. She didn't say, but I got the impression it involved someone who'd be willing to look the other way for a consideration while they climbed on board." She stopped talking and cocked an eyebrow at Mousse.

The young martial artist smiled back at her. "Thank you very much. I know the person, er, the place to which she referred. And even though it may seem hopeless, we will make the attempt. We may get lucky and manage to catch up to her after all."

"You want to drop dead from exhaustion, that's your choice."

Mousse started to turn away, but Akane whispered, "Ranma."

Mousse turned back with a suppressed sigh. "There wasn't by any chance someone else inquiring after them? A young man? Japanese? Wears his hair in a pigtail?"

The old woman's eyebrows drew down. "No, and I wouldn't have told him anything if there was. Only reason I told you is because I was pretty sure I recognized you, and besides I can tell from your accent you're Joketsuzoku like you claim. But I'm beginning to wonder if I should have told you anything."

Mousse spread his hands, palms out. "I promise, I know Cologne and Shampoo quite well. We merely want to meet up rather than traveling separately. Still, we must hurry if we're to have a chance. Again, thank you for your help."

They turned and left in a group, walking quickly to the train station. Here they had further luck, when they not only found a ticket seller who remembered Cologne and Shampoo, but who also remembered a Japanese boy asking after them. He repeated the same information he had given Ranma, that the Chinese women had purchased tickets for Hangzhou, and further that the boy asking about them had done so as well. Ranma's train had left early in the evening the day before, which meant they were now less than a day behind him.

Once they were settled in their seats, Genma turned to Akane and asked, "How long have you been able to speak Chinese? And why the devil didn't you tell us before? You didn't think it worth mentioning, when you knew we were going to China?"

Mousse muttered, "I'm not sure it's accurate to say she speaks Chinese. Her Chinese is a lot worse than Shampoo's Japanese."

Akane studied her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry. I know I should have, but ... it's a bit embarrassing. I'd rather not talk about it."

Konatsu spoke up. "Akane-sama, we are heading into danger to rescue Ranma. Do you truly think you should keep such secrets?"

The young woman's face flushed, as she suddenly felt much worse than any caustic words from Ranma's father could have achieved. She twiddled her thumbs a bit, then decided to confess.

"It was ... after we got back from China. Months ago. Ranma had missed his chance to be cured, but I had this feeling that he'd be going back to China one day to try again. I found out he'd been studying Chinese on the side. I thought, if I could learn it too ... maybe ..." Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she was blushing madly. "Maybe I could go with him. But I haven't learned very much yet." Her hands twisted around each other. "I was afraid to let him know. Afraid of what he might say. So I've kept it secret. Until now."

Genma raised an eyebrow. "You _do_ want to marry my son, don't you? Despite everything you've said before."

Akane took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I'm not going to answer that. Whether I do or not, I have no intention of letting anyone else know what I want before I tell Ranma."

Genma's lip twitched, but he held his tongue. He nodded once, acknowledging all that she had said and not said, then sank back into his seat, satisfied.

The others thought he was about to take a nap, but instead he reached down into the pack on the floor between his legs. When he pulled out the balls the other three all groaned and he flashed them an evil grin. "That's right," he announced harshly, "time for more coordination and speed training."

A minute later there were a dozen small balls flying through the air between the four of them, hands flashing to catch and pass on the balls without dropping any. Genma mercilessly pushed the pace faster and faster, watching from under lowered eyebrows and with a grim smile as the three youngsters started to sweat.

* * *

Ranma hunkered down among the bags of fertilizer in the boxcar, glad that they were relatively soft although he wished that his nose would hurry up and shut down its sensitivity to the smell. The discomfort was a small thing, however, of which his conscious mind took little note, as he had traveled in like manner more times than he could easily count during the course of his life.

The young man was growing scared again. His threats had made the railway worker talkative, confirming that Cologne, Shampoo and Akane were still traveling together. Ranma was also thankful that this was a busy rail line, with freight trains heading west on a regular schedule. Even so, the time he had made up on the group ahead during the cross country trek was lost, and he was now a full day behind. This train would deposit them in the foothills of the Bayankala Mountains, and he entertained no hope that he'd be able to catch up before they reached the village of the Joketsuzoku.

Which meant that he was going to have to rescue Akane from _within_ the village, and that was a worrisome thought. It also meant that they might be able to begin their brainwashing attempts on Akane before he could get there, if Cologne hadn't already, and _that_ thought made him nauseous. He didn't know what techniques they might use for the purpose, but it was all too easy to imagine drugs and torture being part of it. And his imagination was proving far too vivid on the subject.

A couple of times during the trip, with little else to occupy his mind, Ranma gave into the fears and suffered brief periods of weeping. Afterwards he castigated himself for crying when he was in male form. He continually worked at reassuring himself by calling up memories of things Akane had been through before, telling himself that she was strong, that she wouldn't break easily. Besides, even if he couldn't get there before they had her in the village, he'd arrive and rescue her almost immediately after. He'd get her away, make sure she was safe. And then ... he'd go back.

When his thoughts turned in those directions, he gave way to intense rages, planning revenge. He had thoughts of burning down the entire village, destroying their fields, doing anything to make them feel the pain which was currently piercing his heart. The wind whistled through the train car, courtesy of the hole in the roof where he had lost control and unleashed a Moko Takabisha. Any question of his feelings for Akane had long since been resolved in his mind, and he swore that he was going to make sure that she knew it as soon as he got her safe.

Ranma found that it soothed the pain a little to imagine what life would be like once they were safe back in Japan together. This time they _would_ get married. He'd insist on it himself. No one was ever going to come between them again. They'd finish high school and reopen the dojo. Or maybe they'd do some college work first. It might help to take some P.E. courses, perhaps some other education classes as well, to get some experience in _how_ to teach. Could he bring up his grades enough to get into some small college somewhere?

Well, they'd manage, one way or another, college or not. They'd be together. Married. Happy. They'd have children, eventually. They'd raise them sensibly, not like their own parents had done. All their kids would be great martial artists, of course. The fame of their martial arts school would spread far and wide, among those who cared about such things. They'd watch their children grow up, start school, graduate, get married - _no_ arranged marriages! - and have children of their own. He and Akane would grow old together, sitting out on the engawa, reflecting on the happy life they had lived together.

But first he had to save her. He had to get her away from the Amazons and make sure those ... people ... would never dare bother them again. He had to get her out of there before they could do anything to ... hurt ... his Akane. Once more the fears rose from the hollow pit of his stomach, strangling his breath, forcing tears from his eyes.

* * *

Setting out on foot from Hangzhou, Genma insisted that everyone spar as they hiked, while carrying full packs on their backs. He paired Akane off with Konatsu, since he thought the ninja less likely to thoughtlessly injure her, while taking Mousse on himself. After only a few minutes he called a halt. He stood there, head cocked to one side, fists on his hips, staring at Akane.

When she could endure it no longer, Akane cried with exasperation, "What?!"

"Who's been training you?" he growled. "You're better than you're supposed to ... err, hmmph ... you know what I mean, dammit! The little exercises we been doing, I haven't had a chance to notice before."

Akane crossed her arms in front of her and lifted her chin. "Ranma was. He didn't want anyone to know because he was worried what Shampoo might do if she found out."

Genma nodded, and beckoned with his fingertips. "Very well. Come at me girl. Let's see what you can _really_ do."

Akane attacked, wondering if he would dodge her the same way Ranma always used to. She was quickly disabused of this notion as a blow to the side of her head sent her crashing to the ground. She sprang back up, twisting away, while shaking her head to clear it, trying to get back to seeing one of everything.

She barely ducked the kick that tried to take her head off. Her hard block swept the following punch off to the side. She gave a sudden twist which robbed the punch to her shoulder from his other hand of most of its impact. She completely failed to do anything about the kick to her side which sent her flying.

"Come on, girl! Ranma could fight harder than that when he was still in diapers!"

Akane gave a feral snarl. She was on Genma again in an instant, snapping punches and kicks as fast as she could while not neglecting her own defense. Sadly she found herself forced to expend more effort on defense than attack, and grew aware that she was barely penetrating Genma's own defenses. At least he seemed to be having a little more difficulty getting blows through which would knock her off her feet again, although her body was being rocked by regular impacts, and she was sent flying a few times.

Finally the older man withdrew, saying, "Enough!" Akane dropped to her knees, panting.

‹What happened?› Akane asked herself miserably. ‹I thought I was doing pretty good fighting Ranma. I mean, I knew he held back with me, but ... but ...› Her thoughts rose to a mental wail. ‹I should've been able to beat his fat, lazy father!›

Genma snorted, looking down at her. "Let me guess. Can't believe you got your butt handed to you by fat, lazy Genma Saotome? I encourage people to think of me that way, you know. You might try to remember it wasn't that long ago I could take my boy on and still have a decent chance of winning. You honestly think you're ready to do that yet?"

Konatsu was watching the scene with evident curiosity. Mousse was eyeing Genma with new calculation. Neither one had any intention of interrupting.

"But ... but ..." Akane stammered. "If that's the case, what ..." Her voice lowered, as did her eyes. "What chance do I have against Shampoo?"

Genma scowled, crossing his arms. "Oh get up off the ground and stop being a crybaby!" Akane's eyes snapped up furiously and she struggled to her feet. "What the devil does my whipping you have to do with beating Shampoo? You think _she_ stands a chance against me? Ha! Not that I'm stupid enough to fight her if I don't have to, and I sure as hell don't want to take on her old bat of a great-grandmother. I try to stay out of battles I'm not gonna win."

The middle-aged man paused, shaking his head, and let out a sigh. He softened his voice a little, though it was still rough. "Honestly? You get into a straight-up fight against Shampoo today, a fair fight, you'd lose. But why the hell would you want to fight fair? You're supposed to be a student of Anything Goes! Didn't your father ever teach you what that _means_?"

"You ... win," Akane answered tentatively, looking thoughtful, remembering lessons from the past and more recent observations of Ranma's battles. "Whatever it takes. You use anything on hand, any advantage you can find. You never give up, even if you retreat temporarily. There's always some way of winning, if you look hard enough."

Genma beamed. "There, you see? You aren't so dumb after all." Akane scowled again. "And as for how poorly you did against me ..." He looked over at the two boys. "Konatsu, how would _you_ say she did?"

The boy pursed his lips before answering. "You gave a very good account of yourself, Akane-sama. Saotome-san is ... better than I realized. And you are also better than I realized. I think ... that with the training Ranma-sama has given you, that it would be a good idea if Ukyo-sama did not try to fight you in future. I would not like to see her sad because she lost."

Akane stared at him, then dropped her eyes as a small smile curved her lips. "Umm, thank you." She looked up at Ranma's father. "I still might have to fight Shampoo when the time comes."

Genma nodded. "Yes, but now I have a slightly better idea of what training you need. Did Ranma tell you anything about his plans? For your training, I mean." He picked up his pack and started hiking. The others followed.

Akane answered as she walked. "He said that he wanted to take me on a training trip. Though he wanted to figure some way to get us both out of town without making anyone suspicious. He said he wanted to help me get more control over channeling chi into my blows, and that it was best to do that outdoors. I wasn't even aware before he told me that I was using chi when I hit."

The man walking beside her scrunched his nose up. "Hmph. I should be able to help you with that a bit. Pity that Ranma didn't have a chance. I will admit he knows more than me about using chi in a fight. Still, it's not like we're talking about the fine control for something like his Moko Takabisha or the Hiryu Shoten Ha."

He remained in deep contemplation for the next several minutes, before regaining awareness of his surroundings. His voice sounded decisive as he announced, "We'll start your practice when we stop for lunch. In the meantime, we're supposed to be sparring. Get over there and attack Konatsu, and make sure you keep heading west while you fight. In the meantime ..." He suddenly launched a flying kick at Mousse, who barely managed to dodge. The next few hours witnessed a complete lack of conversation, with the exception of the frequently shouted "kiya."

* * *

"Again!" Genma shouted.

Akane tried her best to ignore the pain; carefully avoided looking at her torn and bloodied knuckles. She focused instead on sensing the chi she knew was present within her, directing it to flow into her arm. When she thought that maybe she felt something, she vented a loud "kiya" and struck hard at the tree trunk in front of her.

The tree shivered and dropped another cascade of leaves, but otherwise showed no sign of further damage - the multitude of previous blows having already stripped off all the bark at that spot. Akane winced, fighting back tears, struggling not to grip her hand in pain.

She firmed her stance, preparing to strike with the other hand. Akane imagined chi flowing from the rest of her body into the arm. Genma was muttering off to her side. With a grunt he suggested, "Tell you what. Imagine that the Hibiki boy's face is on the tree."

Akane snarled, feeling a wave of new energy, her arm suddenly feeling like a veritable hammer of heaven. Her "kiya" smote upon the eardrums as her fist smashed into the wood of the tree. With a crack of thunder the trunk split, and the tree slowly toppled over to crash to the ground.

"I ... I did it!" Akane stared at the fallen tree.

"Yes you did," Genma said proudly. Then he pointed at another tree. "Now do it again!"

"But ... my hands." Akane held them up forlornly, the backs facing him, showing the torn flesh, the blood seeping down toward her wrists where she was holding them up.

"Oh, well, forgive me your highness! Of course we have to protect your dainty hands! Shall I send for someone to give your nails a manicure, and ask her to bathe your hands in something sweet and perfumed? Would you ...?"

"Oh stuff it!" Akane snarled. She shoved the man out of the way as she stomped over to the next tree. Picturing Genma Saotome's face on the tree, the girl shouted "kiya" and shattered the trunk with one blow. Without waiting for further orders she marched on to the next tree. Genma raised an eyebrow but held his tongue and made no further comments. He could sense well enough they were not needed at the moment.

* * *

Noise. A ceaseless assault on the ears, never ending. The rattling of the train car, the clacking of its wheels. Not to mention the roaring of the wind past the door they had wedged open. Silence had become a thing of distant memory, half forgotten.

Akane shouted at Mousse. She strained to hear his reply, even though he was squatting less than a meter in front of her, but caught only the scathing "No!" at the beginning.

"What?" she yelled.

He shouted back, "I _said_, you just told me that you like my mother's armpit! Try again!"

Akane still couldn't believe that Genma had them hop a freight train! She felt like a criminal, chewing her fingernails over the idea that they might get caught, and God knew what would happen to them in some local jail in the Chinese boondocks. Pushing these thoughts away, Akane yelled the phrase again, trying to focus on the language lesson Mousse was giving her. This time the nearsighted boy nodded faint approval.

From the middle of the boxcar, Genma heard their bellowed conversation but couldn't make out anything they were saying, even if he could have understood the language. He glanced over at Akane briefly before returning his attention to Konatsu. He had grudgingly permitted the girl to take time to practice her Chinese, as he still didn't fully trust Mousse to be on their side once they caught up to the other Amazons. It would be better if she could do some other martial arts training at the same time, but was forced to admit that it was hard enough to hear someone else as it was.

At that point Konatsu spun on his hands and launched a kick which the older man barely blocked with his foot, and Genma stopped worrying about Akane and foreign languages and Mousse's loyalty. He and Konatsu were both standing on their hands, fighting only with their feet, a form of practice which required intense concentration on balance given the train's movements. Genma had to admit that the effeminate ninja was indeed quite skilled, even upside-down. He parried another attack with his feet while seeking an opening.

Hours slipped by, slowly accumulating into days. It seemed as though the train ride was taking forever, although the constant, and often bizarre, training helped to pass the time.

Mousse leaned back against the wall of the boxcar, trying to make himself comfortable as he watched Akane spar with Saotome. He immediately sat upright again, as the bone-rattling vibration of the wall at his back aggravated the many bruises garnered from the nonstop training. The young martial artist had considered himself to be in excellent fighting shape coming into this endeavor. Now he found himself with a new sympathy for Ranma Saotome, if this was what his rival had put up with for so many years. He also felt he had a better understanding of why the other boy was so supernaturally capable.

Watching Akane move, Mousse was reluctantly compelled to admit that her skills had grown enormously from when he had first met her, back when he arrived in Nerima. Nonetheless, he greatly doubted her ability to best Shampoo, even in an unfair fight. Nor was that doubt solely the result of loyalty to his beloved. He could only hope, for all of their sakes but Akane's especially, that matters would not come to such a pass, that they could find Ranma and whisk him away quietly and without conflict.

The young man closed his eyes and thought back to a conversation the previous evening, in which he had compared his own hidden weapons techniques to the Anything Goes school, pointing out that he too believed in using attacks which his opponent would not expect. It was one of the few times he had seen Saotome truly angry. The older man had claimed that hidden weapon techniques were just one tiny and almost insignificant aspect of what Anything Goes meant. As Saotome had explained it, the true Anything Goes artist was trained to take any advantage provided, either by the opponent or the environment, and to manufacture advantages where none existed. Mousse had been giving a great deal of thought to this argument.

The Chinese teenager looked up from his contemplations upon hearing an explosive grunt from Akane, to see her pressing a hand to her chest and backing away from her opponent.

Akane's voice came out gasping. "Watch ... watch where ... you're hitting me ... you pervert."

Genma circled in. "Aww, did I bruise something? Hell girl, it ain't like you got much there to bruise. Would you like one of the boys to rub some ointment on it? Maybe kiss it to make it feel better?"

Akane's face grew red with rage. She clenched her fists, arms held stiffly at her sides. The girl spluttered almost incoherently, "You ... you ...!"

And Genma _nailed_ her. The kick sent her flying to smash into the front wall of the car, off of which she bounced to roll several times on the floor. She clutched her arms painfully around her lower ribs, fighting unsuccessfully against the tears springing into her eyes, trying to shuffle back from the man advancing upon her.

"Defend yourself, girl!" he shouted.

"You ... but ... I ..." At the last second Akane managed to get a forearm up to partially block the heel which slammed toward her, and made an effort to roll with the blow. She still skidded across the floor to slam into the wall once more. As Genma continued to come toward her, she forced herself to her feet and assumed a defensive stance, ignoring the tears streaming down her face.

Genma stopped, looking her over coolly. "Better. Take five." He dropped where he'd been standing, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"What ... but ... _why_?!" Akane cried in anger, pain, frustration and confusion.

Ranma's father cracked open an eye. "Because this ain't some damn game, girl! You think Shampoo's gonna follow some set of rules if you get in a fight with her? What if she calls you a pervert? Insults Kasumi? Pretends that she slept with Ranma? You don't _ever_ let your defenses down in a fight, no matter _what_ your opponent says! You got that?! You fight to win, always, and you never, ever, let anything your enemy says get to you!"

He closed his eyes, but continued speaking. "Ranma may have been willing to coddle you in your training, but don't expect me to. We don't have that luxury. We're not so many days from the Amazon village, assuming we don't catch up to 'em before then. One way or another, you're gonna be ready. And I don't particularly care if you hate me for making you ready."

Akane sank to the floor. "This ... this is how you trained Ranma, isn't it?"

Genma smiled. "I made him the best! I'm the one who turned him into a martial artist that could beat the likes of Saffron."

Akane stared at him, disbelieving. "And it doesn't matter to you how he feels about you as a result? That you'll always be 'old man' to him, and never 'dad'? That he never speaks of you, except with scorn and disrespect?"

Genma's face showed nothing of what he felt inside at her words, despite the hammer blow to his heart which hit as hard as his kicks had struck her in the recent bout. That was the way he had wanted it, right? His boy had to be the best, no matter what the cost.

The man before her growled out his response. "That sort of crap is overrated. I swore that I'd make my son the best martial artist of his generation. And that's what I did. I'm proud of it."

Akane continued to stare for several more seconds, then closed her eyes, taking advantage of the brief rest the man was allowing. The young woman realized that she had just achieved a brand new empathy with her absent fiancé, a sense that she now understood him far better than she ever had before.

* * *

Shampoo grew more and more excited with each familiar landmark she passed. As they came around the final bend and saw the houses grouped in front of them, Shampoo exclaimed tearfully, "Oh, it's beautiful! It's so good to be home! Because this time I know that I'll never have to leave again."

"Don't count your chickens, girl," Cologne grunted. "We still have to capture your groom. I'm not expecting that to be a walk in the park. By now he's probably worked himself into a towering rage. You _do_ remember what he did to Saffron, don't you?"

"Yes, grandmother. I promise not to be overconfident. But his anger will work against him as much as it works for him."

"True enough," the old woman admitted. "Not to mention the effect the wait will have had on his nerves. I expect he hasn't been sleeping well. But we still need to play this very cautiously."

A couple of women stepped around the corner of a house and stopped, staring. "Elder Cologne! Shampoo! You're back!"

"Indeed we are, children!" Cologne replied. "But there's no time for chit chat. We must get ready immediately. We may have no more than twenty minutes before Shampoo's husband gets here, and he's likely to be in a kill first, ask questions later frame of mind."

Shampoo and Meifen turned to the old woman, their jaws dropping. "Twenty minutes!" Shampoo gasped. "I thought my airen was at least a day behind us."

Cologne smiled. "Foolish child. You need to learn to pay more attention. I dare say he was a day behind us, if not more, when we got off the train. But he's had a couple of days to close the distance since then. I chose not to announce it at the time, but a couple of hours ago I saw a furtive figure crossing the next ridge behind us. He was moving quite rapidly."

She sighed. "Much faster than we were going, I fear. Alas that my old age is not entirely feigned, and our long march has left me weary. But no more talk! We must gather everyone together and prepare!"

All five of them, Cologne, Shampoo, Meifen and the two village women, set off quickly toward the center of the village, calling out to others as they went.

A short time later Ranma paused, high above the village, clinging to a mountainside while standing on a trail that no sane goat would have dared. He eased an eye around a corner of rock and studied the buildings stretching out below. The challenge log was still hanging in the same place, drawing one's eye. A grunt of pain emerged from his throat on seeing it, the place where he had foolishly set in motion the events which led to this day.

The boy felt a huge, burning desire to leap down there and run straight into the village, smashing his way through anyone who tried to impede him, until he reached Akane's side. He would grab her and they would run for it, desperately evading anyone who tried to stop them, until they were away and safe. Ranma ground his teeth, knowing that the word 'foolhardy' didn't even begin to describe such a plan. No doubt he could fight his way through the first five or six people, or dozen, or even two dozen. But eventually he would run into two or three elders as skilled as Cologne, and then he'd be toast.

No. No matter how much it hurt, he was going to have to wait for nightfall. He would have to sneak in, not fight his way in. They shouldn't be expecting him, Cologne couldn't have counted on him following so soon behind her even if she considered the possibility he might follow eventually. Secrecy would be his greatest ally for the moment, and he must hold on to it as long as he could.

If only he could be sure that Akane was safe! He'd seen her earlier, or, at any rate, he knew it had to be her. He'd certainly recognized Cologne and Shampoo, so there wasn't any question as to who the girl with them was. But Akane was down there now, and ... and ... Ranma shook his head. Cologne should be tired from the journey. God knew _he_ was! Surely she would just lock Akane up for today, and not start anything until tomorrow. That only made sense, right?

Ranma settled himself to wait, acting as if the precarious perch were as safe as lying in bed. He kept one eye on the village below, watching for any sign of unusual activity.

* * *

The train slowed down to another stop in same nameless town. According to Mousse they were getting near the foothills of the Bayankala Mountains. Everyone took the chance to lie down in the stifling heat of the boxcar, these short periods when the train wasn't rattling down the track being their best chances for real sleep.

Akane grumpily came awake with a start, wondering what had disturbed her. She saw the others sitting up as well. Then came another shout, "Who's in there?!"

Suddenly the door shoved fully open, filling the car with sunlight. Two men were standing there, wearing sidearms, and one of them was speaking into a radio. The other was demanding, "All of you, get out here right now."

Mousse, speaking Japanese, told the others, "He wants us to get out of the car." He wasn't too worried about the guns when there were only two of them, but he was troubled by the radio. Reinforcements might be on the way. Mousse added, "I think we'd better do as he says."

As he stepped toward the door, Genma grumbled, "The translation wasn't necessary, boy. It was pretty obvious what they wanted."

All four clambered out of the boxcar, and the men looked them over hostilely, their eyes lingering on Akane in a way that made her want to squirm. "Who are you? What were you doing in there?" the speaker demanded again. Off in the distance three more men were headed their way.

The sole Chinese member of their party answered him haughtily. "My name is Mousse, and I am Joketsuzoku." Both men started on hearing this. "I was on my way home, accompanied by some friends. It was necessary to reach my land as quickly as possible."

The two men glanced at one another, communicating with raised eyebrows. They lived close enough to know the reputation of the Joketsuzoku, and neither wanted anything to do with it. By his manner of speech, the boy probably was what he claimed. Even so, he was only one person, and male at that. They independently decided to skip the usual beating they would have administered as too likely to make them the target of Amazon vengeance, but additionally decided that they could likely get away with some exertion of authority.

"Maybe you are and maybe you aren't, boy," said the man who had not yet spoken. "But that doesn't give you the right to trespass on this train. You're not that far from your home. I suggest that you start walking."

Akane picked up the key words in this statement, and quietly repeated the meaning in Japanese, just loudly enough for Genma to hear. He nodded his understanding, eyeing the additional men who were still some distance away. Two of them were in PLA uniforms, and were also armed. Best not to take the chance that these men would feel braver with increased numbers, especially with that many guns involved.

"I think it's time we resumed hiking," he announced loudly. Settling his pack more firmly on his shoulders, Genma walked away from the tracks, sure that the others would follow. They all did so, although Mousse was looking faintly murderous over his wounded pride. He knew damn well that these men wouldn't have dared order Shampoo to leave the train, let alone an elder like Cologne. On the other hand he didn't wish to complain openly to the others as it would only emphasize his shame.

"How far from here?" Genma asked, pondering the mountain ridges ahead.

Mousse stopped fuming long enough to look around, failing to recognize anything. With a curl of his lip he reached up and pulled his glasses down, settling them in front of his eyes. Scanning the surroundings again, he finally declared, "Further than I'd like, but not as bad as it could be, I guess. I think it will take us a couple of extra days from here." He paused and thought. "It probably doesn't matter too much. Saotome - Ranma - must be almost at the village by now. As long as we arrive before they hold the wedding, I don't suppose it matters whether we rescue him in two days or four. It's not like they're going to torture him, after all. At least, not physically."

"They won't try to hold the wedding immediately?" Akane asked nervously.

Mousse shook his head. "Even among my people, a proper wedding requires some preparation. And I am sure that Shampoo will insist upon a proper wedding. Much though it pains me to say, she does like to show off."

Konatsu added, "If we are right, they should have no reason to know that we are coming. At least not so soon. They should not feel it necessary to rush."

From up ahead, Genma called back with a sneer, "Likely you're right, but we can't be certain. Less talk and more walk! We can't afford to dawdle." He picked up speed, determined not to waste time.

The others didn't argue. They matched his pace, leaving them no breath with which to hold conversations. Then they all groaned as one when Genma insisted they perform a kata he had taught them, one whose moves fit in with hiking so that it allowed them to maintain a rapid march forward.

* * *

A couple of hours had passed, and Cologne gazed out through a window at the surrounding mountains, studying them. She frowned at the conclusion she drew. For the benefit of the others who were gathered there, she declared aloud, "Apparently my son-in-law has chosen not to be precipitate. That is unfortunate. I had hoped he would rush in, not thinking clearly. I expect he would have been easier to subdue in such a case. Instead he awaits his chance, which may give him time to achieve greater mental focus." She shook her head grimly. "This is not the best path for us."

Lotion raised an eyebrow. She had not complained when Cologne had insisted on gathering some few score warriors to wait in ambush in the surrounding buildings, although the word "overkill" had suggested itself strongly. There were several elders of the council here in this room, any one of whom should be more than enough to deal with any outsider, however skilled. Yet Cologne was worried that this boy might wait until he'd had a chance to catch his breath? Either her old rival had gone completely around the bend, or this Ranma Saotome had skills beyond anything she had dared to imagine.

Several of the other elders were looking similarly skeptical. Nonetheless, it was time and past time for this matter to be resolved. "What do you suggest?" one of the others asked.

Cologne stood in silent thought for several minutes, slowly tapping her staff lightly against her lips. Then she smiled sadly, and said, "I think we should encourage him to ... _be_ precipitate. I have a plan. Meifen, I'm afraid this will involve some risk for you. At the least it will be an inconvenience. There is a small chance of grave danger in it. Others of us will be risking injury as well, and it is certain that some will _be_ injured. Nonetheless, I think it our best chance. I'll want some guards to take Meifen ..."

As she continued speaking, outlining the plan, several brows around the room wrinkled in displeasure, finding the proposed deception distasteful. None spoke out against it however.

Ranma came out of his waking doze to full alertness as he saw a group of people marching down a road in the town below. They were divided into a small number in front, and a larger group behind. Studying them closely, Ranma gave a small exhalation of satisfaction as he saw that Akane was in front surrounded by four others, his fiancée being easily recognizable by the clothing he had seen earlier which she was still wearing. They stopped in front of an official looking building, then one of the women was doing something to Akane. After a moment he realized that she was tying Akane's hands behind her back. As soon as that was done, they took her inside the building.

Ranma bit his lip. Were they going to start the brainwashing immediately after all? Or were they just finally putting her into some sort of cell? And if they were going to start the brainwashing, would they begin with drugs? Or some weird Amazon magic? Or would they start more mundanely with some kind of torture to try to break her spirit? Most importantly, if they did something of the sort, would he be able to remain where he was and do nothing, even if that was their best chance?

‹Stay calm,› he urged himself. ‹Keep cool. Akane's tough. They want her to fool you when she gets back. They ain't gonna do nothing to maim her. But her life ain't worth spit if you go and get _yourself_ caught.›

Ranma tried to slow his breathing down as he watched a new group approach the building, half a dozen men. They spoke briefly to one of the elders, probably Cologne, though Ranma had trouble distinguishing the old woman from this distance. Then his heart climbed into his throat and his stomach dropped into some bottomless void as the men pulled off their clothes.

‹No. _No_. _No_!› "_NOoo_!" he shouted. Ranma leaped down from his perch as the first man entered the building.

Ranma thought he had never run so fast in his entire life. He wrapped his chi around himself tightly, slipping into the soul of ice so he could think straight for what was coming. He knew how bad the odds were, knew that this would be harder than Saffron, but there was no choice. He _couldn't_ let this happen.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!" he shouted as he came into sight of the first of the Joketsuzoku. A line of mature female warriors faced him, staves held at the ready. He didn't pause to wonder how they could have reacted to his unexpected presence so quickly.

Just before he came within reach of their weapons, Ranma thrust his arms forward, crying, "Moko Takabisha!" The ball of chi he fired was the largest he had ever achieved. The warriors on the ends of the line dove desperately to the sides. The three in the middle were caught by the blast and hurtled a hundred meters backward through the air, beyond the nearest houses.

But the ball of chi didn't stop there. It plowed into the group which had been standing behind them, carving a deep furrow through the people. Of the elders who had been prepared to stand against him, that one blow took half of them out of the fight. The chi blast finally expended its energy obliterating a house which it struck.

Cologne, standing off to one side, swallowed hard, wondering if she had perhaps underestimated her son-in-law. The thought had no sooner occurred to her than she revised it, acknowledging that she had _certainly_ underestimated her son-in-law.

Other warriors now dove in, attacking Ranma from all sides. He held his own, quickly forcing anyone who dared close to retreat. None of the combatants had the room to attempt a Hiryu Shoten Ha. Striking at Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken speeds was fruitless, as the boy proved faster than any two or three people doing so simultaneously. It was blindingly obvious that the younger warriors were hopelessly outclassed.

One elder, Perfume, leaped high into the air to come down at Ranma from above, hoping the distraction of the other fighters would prevent him from observing her. She fired a massive blast of chi straight down, sizzling through the air, intent on flattening the outsider along with, regrettably, several of the others. Too late Cologne shouted, "No!"

Ranma gave no obvious sign that he had noticed the impending attack, but he spun quickly, clearing an area around himself. Still spinning, he thrust his fist like a corkscrew into the supercharged chi just as it reached him. Perfume touched the ground at the same moment an explosion of wind-whipped debris exploded in her direction. Her extreme level of skill allowed her to instantly recognize the tightly coiled horizontal whirlwind driven by chi for what it was, and she dove to the side a millisecond before it would have ripped her apart.

Even so, the tornado force wind picked Perfume up and threw her aside like a rag doll. The whirlwind then went on to punch through ten buildings which lay between it and the mountainside. The buildings were all torn apart and a deep gouge was carved into the mountain.

The people still surrounding Ranma hesitated momentarily at this destruction. He knocked aside two of them, and then he was inside the building where they had taken Akane. The boy took little comfort in achieving this first goal, however, as he knew that getting out would be far harder than getting in. At the same time, he did not allow such worries to distract him. A set of stairs led down, and women holding weapons were waiting at the bottom.

Lotion led the group waiting inside, and she had decided to plan for the worst, just in case Cologne's worries were well founded. The sounds of destruction from outside convinced her that this had been the right course. Thus when Ranma came running down the stairs, the warriors with Lotion engaged him only lightly while steadily retreating, resulting in few injuries. Lotion herself tested the boy a few times, grunting in amazement at his superb talent. As she fell back, the old woman took a moment to wonder what the boy would be like when he fully matured, given his capability now. It was little wonder that Cologne was so intent on winning him for her Shampoo!

The men who had earlier entered the building were waiting behind an open door. Lotion waved them forward, as she and the female warriors retreated down the hall still further. Although not unskilled, none of these men were even the equal of Mousse, and their state of nudity left them mentally unbalanced. Even worse, Ranma's face grew black with rage on seeing them. Within seconds they were all mercifully unconscious, although they would be a long time in healing.

Ranma was not unaware of the female warriors waiting down the hall, but a great deal of his attention was taken by the open door in front of him. The men he had just fought had charged out through that door when they attacked. He ran up to it, eyes sweeping the room beyond.

_Akane_!

She was sitting there in the gloom, face down. Still wearing the clothes from earlier, thank God! They obviously hadn't had a chance to start ... he shut down that thought. They hadn't done anything to her yet. Her hands were still tied, so she was going to need his help, but she appeared to be all right. Ranma ran up, pulled Akane into a tight hug, turned to leave ...

Then she was kissing him! Ranma's brain tried to wrap around the notion of Akane kissing him, while his thoughts babbled internally that this _definitely_ wasn't the time! He looked into the eyes in front of him. His own eyes widened just as he felt some liquid flowing from her mouth into his.

‹That's not Akane! What the hell?!›

Ranma thrust the girl away, hard, watching as she hit the wall and fell to the floor, her tied wrists preventing her from catching herself. He choked, spitting out as much as he could of whatever she had given him. Some sort of drug, he was sure. He started feeling dizzy. He sank to one knee. Ranma growled at the girl, almost daring her to try to get around him, to come within reach. She watched him warily, unmoving.

From behind Ranma, as if from a great distance, came the resounding clang of the cell door as it slammed shut.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Stay tuned for chapter 4, "Prisoner," in which we learn how the Amazons decide to handle Ranma, how Ranma decides to deal with his imprisonment, and what the group bringing up the rear decides to do when they reach the village of the Joketsuzoku.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	4. Prisoner

**Fighting Chance  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Cologne and Shampoo trick Ranma into following Akane to China, but Akane is fast on the trail. Will she be able to defeat overwhelming odds to save Ranma? Who will win her happy ending in the greatest catfight ever?

From this point on you should assume that within the village of the Joketsuzoku, when villagers are speaking to someone Japanese, like Ranma, that they are speaking Japanese, and that when the villagers are speaking to one another they are speaking Chinese. Unless otherwise noted.

* * *

**Chapter 4. Prisoner**

The echoes from the slamming of the cell door were still fading when Ranma tried to stand. He didn't make it at first, sinking back to his knee. Meifen remained silent, watching warily from the floor where he had thrown her against the wall. On the second try Ranma achieved an upright if shaky posture. He took a careful look around the room. Not very small for a cell, about four meters by six, with one corner screened off. When he stumbled over to examine what it hid, the space proved to contain rather minimal sanitary facilities. His eyes swept around the room again. No windows. There were two beds, more like benches or shelves covered with thin cushions, set against opposite walls.

The young martial artist weaved his way over to the door, intent on smashing it down. It was made of steel, and a memory from when he had run into the room told him it was very thick. One punch wasn't going to be enough, but a dozen should do the trick. Or they would if he could hit full strength, wondering how much effect the drug was having. Trying to ignore the thought, Ranma punched as hard as he could.

When his fist made contact with the door, the boy flew backward through the air, every muscle spasming uncontrollably. Bemusedly, as if from a great distance, the thought came to him that at least now he knew the village was modern enough to have electricity. Slowly he rolled over to his side, lifting himself up on one elbow.

Meifen asked him, "Do you understand Chinese?"

Ranma gave her a nasty look before closing his eyes again. He managed to grunt, "Well enough."

The girl nodded. "You cannot break out. The wall and door between us and the hall are steel, and as you saw have been wired with enough current to knock down an elephant. The other three walls and the floor are solid stone, carved out of the bedrock. The ceiling is steel-reinforced concrete, and if you succeed in smashing it you will probably crush us both."

"Who are you? _Where's Akane_?!"

Meifen answered calmly, hiding the intense worry she was feeling inside. "The girl who thought to steal you from Shampoo is still in Japan. She was never kidnapped. That was a ruse to lure you here. My name is Meifen. I have pretended to be that girl since shortly after the elder and Shampoo left Shanghai."

Ranma was staring at her dumbfounded. "Akane is still in Japan?"

Meifen nodded.

Ranma rolled to a sitting position. He buried his face in his knees, then wrapped his arms around head and knees both. The boy vented a loud groan. "I am such an ... _idiot_!"

The Chinese girl forbore to comment.

Ranma looked up, eyes burning with hatred. "So what's to keep me from killing you?"

Meifen put a huge effort into maintaining a calm appearance. "Why? You are already captured. It would gain you nothing."

"It might make me _feel_ better," the young man snarled.

The girl tilted her head to one side. "Would it? Would you really feel better to be standing there looking down at my corpse?"

Ranma looked away from her, unsettled. He didn't answer, but he knew damn well what the answer was. He was no murderer. Killing her would serve no purpose. Instead he changed the subject, "So why are you locked in here with me?"

"The others did not wish to risk your escape by holding the door open in the hope that I could get around you and get out. Elder Cologne said she was fairly certain you would not kill me once you realized there was nothing to gain by it. So I suppose I'm stuck here for the time being. Would you mind untying my hands?"

Feeling a strange sense of unreality, Ranma responded, "I shouldn't, not after what you did." He sighed. "Oh, what the hell. Come over here, though. I don't feel like getting up right now. So what was the drug you gave me, and what happens next?"

Meifen walked over and sat down in front of Ranma with her back to him. He began to work on the knots. "I don't know what the drug is. Cologne had me drink something first which she said was an antidote. Then I held a plastic bag in my mouth containing the drug. The dose was supposed to be large enough to put a dozen men to sleep."

Ranma couldn't prevent a chuckle. "Ah, well. I didn't swallow most of it, you know. And I imagine the adrenalin burned off a lot of it."

The girl stood back up, rubbing her wrists. She went and sat down on the bed. "As for what happens next, I don't know that either. Cologne hoped that you'd be unconscious. I don't think they expected you to be quite as formidable as ...," she faltered, considered her words, "... as things sounded. What _were_ all of those huge crashing sounds? In any case, I expect they are all talking right now, very vehemently, over just exactly what they _should_ do next. It's obvious to me that keeping you here is going to be more of a problem than was foreseen."

"You got that right," Ranma muttered caustically. He looked up. "Did Shampoo really go along with this plan? I mean, knowing that you'd be locked up in here with me? Alone?"

Meifen gave him a true smile at that, not quite as stunning as the real Akane's smile would have been but not a bad effort. "She was ... not amused by the thought. And made a point of telling me all of the things she would do to me if I touched her airen. Cologne sent her out of the room before describing how I would administer the drug to you."

Ranma could not help the flash of a small grin, although it vanished again instantly. "I'm not staying here you know. First chance I get, I'm gone."

His cellmate shook her head, her lips pursed. "You have no choice. You must marry Shampoo. It is our law."

Ranma's lip curled up. "Your law, not mine. I don't give a damn what your laws say. I'm marrying Akane, nobody else. And there ain't nothing you can do to keep me here forever."

He managed to get up and walk unsteadily to the other bench. "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna lie down and take a nap now." The girl watched, eyebrows slightly lifted, as the strange young man proceeded to do exactly that.

* * *

"We can't possibly keep him here! It's insane!" Lotion was saying. Shouting. She was also repeating herself.

The room in which they were gathered contained only the elders of the village. Everyone else had been banished for the duration of the discussion. Custom declared that it was bad for village morale for others to see the elders in disagreement. That there was a certain amount of disagreement going on at the moment would be putting it mildly.

"The law says that he must marry Shampoo," Cologne stated firmly. Again. "Think of the daughters they will give us!"

Lotion snapped back, "Think of the other buildings he'll knock down as soon as we let him out! He destroyed ten houses and the dojo! And he wasn't even _aiming_ at them! They were just in the way. We have forty people injured, including half of us in this room. Perfume hasn't recovered consciousness yet. The doctor had to put casts on all _four_ of her limbs, and says there's a slight chance she might be paralyzed."

"Which just shows how strong the boy is," Cologne answered serenely, certain that her victory was finally at hand despite the protests. A few women looked worried, but most of the others nodded, agreeing with Cologne.

Lotion's eyes narrowed, her teeth ground together. "You didn't warn us!" she hissed. "Yes, we expected him to be strong. We weren't expecting _that_! I'd say he's the equal of just about any person in this room. At least! And he's still only a teenager! What will he be like in another ten years?!"

"Yes, precisely." Cologne smiled broadly. "Just think how strong he'll be. Think how strong his _children_ will be." Most of the elders nodded thoughtfully again.

Lotion leaned back, unhappily aware that the will of the council was not with her on this, and wondering how to make the best of the situation. She studied her long time rival as she pondered her next move. The two of them had represented opposing philosophies in the village for a long time, only rarely in complete agreement, though often allied by necessity to deal with some problem. One might say that Lotion was what passed for a progressive among the elders of the Joketsuzoku, although when you considered against whom she was being measured, the term lost much of its meaning.

It suddenly occurred to Lotion to wonder if perhaps old age was finally catching up to Cologne, dulling the once sharp intellect behind those eyes. Leading her to accept irrational conclusions. It was a sobering thought, particularly as she had no evidence and could not dare to make an unfounded accusation. For that matter, it really _was_ only a speculation, and rather a pointless one. She had to deal with Cologne's beliefs and opinions as they were, and her arguments were failing to sway the other woman, or most of their peers. Worse, the law was in fact on her opponent's side.

Lotion lowered her eyebrows, and gripped her staff firmly between her knees. "I wish to speak to the boy before deciding anything further."

Cologne cocked her head slightly, considering. Seeing no harm, she agreed. "So be it. Shall we resume our ... discussion ... after we've had our dinners? That will give some of us a chance to rest, and we might all be able to think more calmly. I also suggest a small amount of the drug go into my son-in-law's meal, enough to keep him off balance without being noticeable."

This plan was agreed to and the meeting broke up. Several small clusters of women walked off together, speaking in urgent whispers.

"What are we going to do?" an old friend asked Lotion a few minutes later, as they walked along the road outside. "That boy is dangerous! Better to kill him now rather than risk what else he might do. I swear I don't know what Cologne is thinking of! It's not as if we haven't bent the law before when the situation warranted."

Lotion pounded her staff on the ground just a little harder than necessary. "I wish I knew. I hope she's not losing her grip. I think maybe ... maybe it's because of Shampoo. The girl's a supremely talented warrior, no question. And she's educated enough, as far as that goes. But she's not much good at thinking things through. She leaves something to be desired when it comes to planning. Strategy. Hell, plain old common sense!"

Lotion grunted then continued. "I think Cologne may be worried that Shampoo won't achieve much of a voice in running things when she reaches our age. And from where I'm sitting, the girl probably shouldn't. Cologne may be thinking that with a man of Ranma's caliber as a husband, and more importantly the children Shampoo would bear, she'd automatically have a great deal of status. Her word would carry a lot more weight, whether it deserves to or not."

The other woman's features twisted. "That's an unpleasant notion. And not at all implausible." She paused for thought. "I've got to admit, the idea that Shampoo might eventually have the chief voice in that generation ... doesn't exactly inspire my hopes about the future."

Lotion shuddered. "That makes two of us. But it is painfully obvious that Cologne will not agree simply to release the boy, and too many others are willing to support her in that regard. Also, I'd rather you dropped any talk of killing him. There's the matter of our recent negotiations with the Musk."

Her companion blinked. "What does that have to do with the lad?"

"I was one of our representatives at the talks, as you know. Oddly enough, this boy Ranma's name came up in a private conversation I had with the prince. It seems that Herb has met this Ranma personally and respects him. Annoyed by him as well, but respects him. I feel confident that he'd be amused if Ranma had to marry one of our girls. His reaction would likely be very different if we killed the lad. All of our efforts to reach an accord could go down the drain."

Her friend looked like she'd bitten into something bitter. "Oh. Well, damn. This 'airen' of Shampoo's really gets around, doesn't he?"

"Apparently," Lotion agreed with a sigh. "Well, I suppose I'd better go and have this talk. For whatever good it's going to do."

When the elderly woman reached the door to the cell, she picked up the thick rubber mat which was lying there and used it to slide the thin grill to the side. Peering through she saw that Ranma was lying on one of the beds, softly snoring. Meifen got up and padded over to the door quietly.

"Quickly. Open the door and let me out," she whispered.

"Not on your life," Lotion answered. "I'm not as young and foolish as all that."

"Damn," Ranma muttered. He sat up and looked over to the door.

"I thought you were asleep," Meifen complained.

"Don't blather, girl," the old woman said. "Obviously he meant you to."

Ranma got up and strolled over to the door, sitting down in front of it, the better to hear the creaky old voice. "So what do you want?" Ranma asked. "Decided to be smart and let me go?"

"The council is not going to allow that," Lotion told him.

"Then you'd better not let me out of here," Ranma said seriously. "Because I swear I'll tear your entire village apart."

Lotion paused for a minute, letting his words hang in the silence. When she spoke again her voice was thoughtful, and slightly sarcastic. "And it would not matter to you, at all, that in many of those houses would be children? Or other people who have not attacked you or done you any harm?"

Ranma squirmed, eyes fixed on his lap. At the thought of the destruction in the recent battle, he blanched and looked up wildly. "Earlier! Those houses! I didn't ... there weren't ...?"

The elder gave a dry chuckle. "By fortune's favor, no. There was no one in any of the buildings you destroyed. The only people who were injured were among those who attacked you. Or who were planning to be part of the attack. I admit that you managed to injure several before they had a chance to start."

Meifen regarded the boy beside her in wonder. So far she had heard no details of what had happened before he entered her cell.

Ranma had sagged in relief on hearing Lotion's words, a response her old eyes did not miss. She could see Cologne's point of view. He was a decent lad at heart. Powerful, skilled. He could be an incredible asset, if only he were willing. Unwilling, however ... the word "asset" was not the one she would choose.

"Frankly, boy, I'd just as soon see the back of you. However ..." Her voice rose sharply as Ranma's head snapped up. "However, I am in a minority on this. You must put aside any hope you have of leaving. It is not going to be permitted."

"You could ..." Ranma began.

"No I could not," she cut him off quickly. "I do not consider myself to be omniscient. I will not choose a path by myself which the rest of the council opposes. Thus we must make the best of the situation as it is. You surely don't consider it such a terrible fate, after all, to be married to Shampoo, do you? She is accounted most attractive by the young men of our village."

Ranma's eyes darkened. "I swear to you, elder, I will _never_ marry Shampoo."

Lotion looked at him piercingly. She grew more thoughtful. "Do you truly mean that? Most men would jump at the chance. She's strong, skilled, beautiful. What's the problem?"

Meifen listened curiously for the answer. She thought that the other two might have forgotten her presence.

Ranma was never much good at expressing his feelings. His hands waved around in small circles as he groped for words. "She's cold, cold all the way through. No ... compassion. Nobody else is real to her. I'm just a prize to her. A trophy. Yeah, she's pretty enough. And there was a time I enjoyed the attention a bit. But there was never a chance of me wanting to get together with her. And after this last stunt ...! I think ... I think I may just hate her now. Or at the least, the thought of her makes me sick."

Lotion sat there pondering, her fingers tapping on her staff. Her thoughts were circling around, considering what options might be possible, and within the realm of reason. After a few minutes she suggested, "What if it were possible for you to marry someone else? One of the other girls in the village? Like Meifen here?"

"Me!" the girl squeaked. "I don't want Shampoo to kill me!"

"I was only using you as an example!" the elder snapped. "How about it, boy?"

Ranma shook his head. "The only girl I want to marry is Akane. I don't plan to stay here."

The woman's eyes narrowed to a squint. "I didn't asked what you wished for. I asked what you were willing to do. Give up your fantasies and face the fact that you're stuck here. You need to make plans on the basis of what's possible, not dreams and make believe."

Ranma replied mulishly, "I _will_ get out of here eventually. You can't keep me here forever."

"Idiot boy!" Lotion castigated him. "Cologne and the others would prefer to keep your mind relatively intact. But if you don't come around, we _will_ break you! Do you think we cannot? You are wrong if so."

"I'm sure you can," her prisoner replied coldly. "But I'll see to it that you pay a hell of a price."

"I know that!" the elder shouted, angry in turn. "Of course I know that. It's plain to me that you are trouble with a capital 'T' and I want no part of it. But that is not for either of us to decide! Here you are, and here you will remain, and for both our sakes I would vastly prefer that you accept that! If you do, there is probably much that could be done to make this easier for you. If you are obstinate, then we will all regret it, but I assure you that you will be the one to regret it most!"

Without waiting for a response Lotion slammed the grill shut using the mat and stomped off. Ranma regarded the door with a black scowl for several long moments before he stood. However, instead of returning to the bed he began a kata. He stumbled several times, but continued the motions, and all the time his aura flared and swirled around him.

* * *

As the sky darkened with twilight the travelers crossed a ridge to find themselves in a dale in which a fast-flowing mountain stream pooled before continuing downhill. Taking in the view and the time, Genma announced, "This looks like a good place to camp for the night. Mousse, see to the latrine. Konatsu, take care of the fire pit and get our dinner started. Akane, you help me with the tents."

This was done and the camp was ready by the time the shadow of the mountains left them in darkness. By the light of the fire, Akane looked over toward the pool of water. A large boulder hid one end of the water from view, and Akane rose with determination, pulling things out of her pack.

"I'm going to go bathe," she declared. "We're all filthy from that train car." This was in fact the case. Their hands, their clothes, even their faces were smeared with grime. "I _expect_ all of you to be gentlemen and not try to peek."

Genma sighed heavily. "You got too damn much modesty for this sorta rough living."

Konatsu shot the man a look of exasperation which almost matched the anger in Akane's expression. The feminine ninja told her, "Go ahead and take your bath, Akane-sama. I will see to it that they do not bother you."

Akane nodded, reining in her temper. She slipped around the boulder to where a thin ledge of ground lay between it and the pool. Checking to make sure no one could see her, she quickly stripped and sank into the waist deep water. She had to fight to keep her teeth from chattering when she did so, as the water was very cold despite the season.

As she bathed, Akane tried not to let her current situation worry her. After all, it was inconceivable to imagine Konatsu acting like a pervert, Genma was her future father-in-law, and Mousse had eyes only for Shampoo. Yet even so, she was nude, alone with three males all of whom were supremely skilled martial artists, and if any of them moved away from the campfire she would be in plain view. Akane wished desperately that Ranma could be there with her, to give her a greater feeling of safety.

This thought morphed into a wish that Ranma were right there in the pool with her. That he would step up behind her, put his arms around her, pull her close. Akane's breathing started to speed up. Coming to an awareness of what she was doing with a start, the young woman focused on quickly finishing her bath and got dressed. She felt much better once she had clothes on again and stepped back out to join the others.

After they had eaten, the men decided to wash off the grime as well. Of course, they couldn't all fit behind the boulder. Akane sat with her back to the pool and promised not to look, although nobody had bothered asking her to make such a promise. In the event, she was considerably surprised at how much temptation she felt to try to peek. Not that the thought of seeing Genma interested her, rather the opposite. But she was guiltily aware of an interest in what Konatsu or Mousse might look like. Worried about the perverted trend of her thoughts, Akane turned her mind to wondering where Ranma might be right now, and what he might be doing.

After the men were dressed again and the teenagers were wondering if they would turn in early, Genma scanned the sky which was darker than usual with a new moon. He stated, quite seriously, "Okay. Time for some more night training."

Groans emerged from three throats. Mousse asked resignedly, "What form will it take this time?"

"We head out of the camp, under those trees," the man explained. "Once you get away from the campfire, you'll be lucky to see your fingers in front of your nose. If you can, strike someone with a blow and then slip away before he can counter."

"How do we win?" Mousse asked.

Genma scowled at him. "There's no prize, boy. Just penalties. If you don't try your best, you're gonna be trying to go to sleep later with a mess of bruises."

They dispersed from the camp in different directions before circling back around hunting one another. Akane found that she had the advantage where Mousse was concerned, which rather surprised her as she thought he would be accustomed to fighting in situations where he couldn't see clearly. On the other hand, she was noticeably poorer at this exercise than either Genma or Konatsu, rarely managing to land a blow on either but receiving several. Konatsu was the one who returned to camp later almost entirely unscathed by the training.

When Akane slipped into her sleeping bag, she spent some time thinking about Ranma before going to sleep. She hoped he hadn't been captured. She hoped he was all right. She hoped she'd see him again soon. She went to sleep imagining that they had escaped from the Amazons and he was lying in her tent with her, holding her, as she finally fully confessed to him everything that she felt for him.

* * *

When dinner had finally been brought to the cell and slipped through the small opening in the door, Meifen had greedily fallen upon her portion, eating wolfishly. After a couple of minutes, however, she glanced up at Ranma curiously.

"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked.

The boy shook his head. "No. They've probably drugged it. I need to keep my head clear. I need to figure a way out of here, and I need to be ready to fight after I escape."

Meifen's eyes widened. "You realize you're crazy, don't you? Yeah, I suppose it might be drugged." She looked dubiously at the lump of rice she held. "But what good is it going to do you to starve yourself? Enough of that and pretty soon you won't be thinking clearly or be able to fight, anyway. And I'm sure they'll be willing to leave that door locked until they're ready to deal with you, whether you eat or not."

Ranma shrugged. "Whatever. I'm just not gonna cooperate with 'em. If they want to wait for me to be weaker, they're gonna have to do it the long way. I don't like being hungry, but I know what it's like, and I expect I can put up with it longer than they figure. I'm guessing, hoping at least, that the water from the sink back there is safe enough."

"Stubborn male," she mumbled, and returned to her food.

Ranma smiled. He wondered what Akane was doing, back in Japan. Was she worried about him? Would she be glad to see him when he got back? He imagined her reaction when he finally arrived in Nerima, weary from his journey, only to go down on one knee in front of her and ask her to marry him. He indulged himself with fantasies of how she would respond, refusing to imagine anything other than a positive outcome.

As Meifen ate, she wondered what her cellmate was thinking about. Whatever it was, he certainly had a goofy grin on his face.

Some distance away, in the same room as earlier, the elders were gathering again. Lotion had given a lot of thought to the matter at hand, trying to decide how to make the best of things. She was certain that they would have to keep the boy confined and weak for a while, but it would also be best to avoid any actions likely to rouse his anger to extreme states. If he found that his situation did not match his greatest worries, perhaps he could come to accept it? Eventually? Particularly if some subtle conditioning were thrown in as well.

Cologne spoke first. "I assume we have all now eaten, rested and taken time to think. I admit that my son-in-law presents some particular difficulties, but we have dealt with difficulties before. He has demonstrated an exceptional strength, which could be of great value to us once he has been brought to see things our way. Does anyone deny this?"

The majority of the women there were clearly in agreement. Cologne looked pointedly at Lotion, who responded, "Personally, I am still troubled by this. However, officially, I accede to the will of the council. We should now decide how best to make him one of us."

Cologne suppressed her grin of victory, restraining herself to a small, tight smile. "My granddaughter Shampoo is already planning the wedding. We should not wait too long to hold it. I would like to try for less than two weeks. In the meantime, we can continue using the drug and ..."

She broke off as Lotion removed a hand from her staff and held it up. She looked Cologne in the eye, carefully did not smile, and pointed out, "I said that we should decide how best to make him one of us. I did not say that he should marry Shampoo."

Intense whispering broke out among the others. Cologne's eyes narrowed to the thinnest of slits. "What are you getting at?" she practically hissed. "Shampoo gave him the kiss of marriage! He must marry her! That is the law."

Lotion waved her hand. "There are numerous exceptions to that law, as you well know. For that matter, it may be overturned by a simple majority decision of this council. Though that is not what I wish to suggest."

The old woman gathered them in with her eyes, as they listened to her in fascination. Lotion took considerable pleasure in the sound of Cologne's teeth grinding together. Not that she expected the other woman to do anything rash. They were both old hands at this, veterans of many disputes over the years. Lotion allowed the pause to stretch until just before someone would question what she meant, and then continued speaking.

"The young man, Ranma Saotome, told me in the strongest possible tones that he would _never_ marry Shampoo. For that matter, he swore to it. I submit that, since I was there as a representative of the council, that this is sufficiently close to an oath before council of desire for transfer of the kiss of marriage. By law, a tournament should be held to determine whom he will marry."

In harsh, clipped tones which made it clear that she was carefully not shouting, Cologne said, "My Shampoo is the village champion! This is pointless!"

Lotion replied serenely, "The fact that Shampoo won two years ago is not proof that she will win today. Nor was the prize quite so ... enticing then as now."

Lotion smiled inwardly as she took in the looks on the other elders' faces. It was clear they were all contemplating the possibility that one of _their_ relatives, instead of Shampoo, might end up married to Ranma. Might earn the status which such a marriage would bring. Cologne saw it too, and her expression turned very dark.

While Cologne was busy gathering her scattered wits to find some cogent argument in opposition, Lotion pressed her advantage. "I feel that this is the best choice all around. The boy may be more tractable when he learns he may not be forced into a marriage he so clearly opposes. I suggest we vote on the proposal."

The vote was quickly taken and the motion carried easily, with only three opposed and two abstentions. Although temporarily set back, Cologne had at least as much fortitude as Lotion, and immediately turned her mind to what was to be done next. It was critical that Shampoo win the upcoming tournament. No mistakes could be permitted due to overconfidence.

Showing no sign of bitterness, Cologne inquired, "Does anyone have an opinion on how soon this tournament should be held?"

The ensuing debate lasted for more than an hour, as they tried to strike a balance between not delaying overlong and still allowing the girls a chance to do some extra training first. In the end a date was set for three weeks hence, on the last Saturday in August. The meeting then broke up, with all of the elderly women hurriedly dispersing to inform granddaughters and great-granddaughters that each of them must be sure that _she_ was the one to win this prize as husband for herself.

Unlike the others, Lotion went first to inform Ranma of this development. She knew that it was at best a stopgap, that Shampoo was the likeliest person to win. Nonetheless, Ranma might be a bit calmer after hearing there was at least a possibility he would not have to marry Shampoo. Or so she could hope.

As it turned out, Ranma was mostly unaffected by the news. He refused to accept that he would be forced to marry any of the Amazons. He insisted, in the face of all reason, that he _would_ get away and return to Japan. Lotion was shaking her head at this display of male obtuseness as she mounted the stairs and left, thinking carefully over what she would say to her own descendants who would be vying for this boy's hand.

* * *

Late that night, long after Meifen had fallen into a deep sleep, Ranma roused himself and sat up on his bed. He was hungry but forced himself to ignore the sensation. The effect of the drug seemed to him to have mostly passed off now, and he'd been lying awake for some time thinking about his situation.

He had long since discarded the notion of attacking the door directly, let alone the wall. The current running through the door would knock him on his ass with each blow he gave it, and was probably rigged to give an alarm when struck. By the time he could get through, Ranma knew there'd be an army waiting for him in the hall. That was even assuming he could remain conscious after suffering several heavy shocks. He'd certainly emerge from the cell in no condition to fight.

Which left the stone walls. Except that Ryoga was the man for blasting a way through solid stone, not himself. That breaking point technique would come in useful right now. Ranma had never had a use for it before, but this seemed like a good time to figure it out.

Of course, there was no means within the cell to undergo the training Ryoga had used to master the technique, but that didn't concern the young martial artist unduly. The primary purpose of that training, after all, had been to toughen Ryoga up. Learning the technique was merely a side benefit. Furthermore, Ranma was confident of his ability to figure out martial arts techniques from observation and reasoning.

He knew that the practitioner was supposed to "see" the breaking point in the rock and touch it. Ranma discounted the idea that this involved seeing something physical. The rough surface of the rock couldn't possibly be the key to seeing the breaking point. He decided that it must somehow involve perceiving the extremely weak chi present in the rock, and then spotting, probably on a subconscious level, a critical point within it. The press of the finger should probably be infused with chi as well, sending it along the pattern to strike at this critical point.

Ranma pulled the cushions off of his "bed" to reveal the shelf of stone underneath. He hoped that practicing on that would allow him to hide his efforts from Meifen until he learned the technique. The boy sank into a meditative state, opening his perceptions to the flow of chi all around him. The strongest sources derived from himself and his cellmate, and it took some time to learn to ignore those. Then he was able to notice the other living things nearby. The people of the village, their livestock, pets, crops and trees, all of which he had to slowly remove from his perceptions.

After a subjective eon had passed, Ranma finally began to sense the almost imperceptible chi within the rock itself. Finding patterns in it was even harder. Beginning to sway with exhaustion, he took a couple of half-hearted pokes, achieving nothing. With a sense of pleased grimness at his progress, the young man replaced the cushions, lay down, and fell into deep and dreamless slumber.

* * *

"How long do you really think you can last without eating something?" Meifen asked curiously. "It's been three days now."

"You feeling anxious to get out of this cell?" Ranma asked in reply. The antidote the girl had taken had long since worn off, and the boy would watch after each meal as she slipped into a period of unconsciousness. He would obviously suffer the same fate if he also ate the food.

Meifen shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. The truth was that she was growing increasingly worried. Not about the boy with whom she shared the room. He hadn't tried to take advantage of her in any way, nor threatened her since the first shock of incarceration had passed. No, the fact that they were locked in together was merely embarrassing, as neither one had any privacy.

What worried her was Shampoo. The girl had come by each day to speak to Ranma, telling him how she was preparing for the tournament and he could be confident that she would win the right to marry him. When he even bothered to reply, Ranma's words were coldly calculated to cut deeply. It was clear that if he had ever thought kindly of Shampoo in the past, those feelings were now long gone, replaced by quite different emotions. In response, Shampoo's words to Meifen had become increasingly caustic, jealous that she was sharing this cell with Ranma and that the boy spoke politely to her. Meifen had already decided that, once she did get out, it would be a good idea to avoid Shampoo for some time afterward. Volunteering for more errands outside the village might be a good place to start.

"It just seems so pointless," she finally said. "You can't escape. Even if you could break out of this cell, which you can't, you'd still have to fight your way out of village. And it's plain to see that you're growing weaker. Refusing to acknowledge that something is impossible is ... not a sign of intelligence."

Ranma chuckled dryly.

"You may be right, but no one's ever accused me of intelligence before. Besides, I reckon I'm smart enough to know that if I _do_ let them drug me, I'm gonna wake up to find myself in chains someplace that's even harder to break out of, and they're gonna go to work on ... changing my mind. Even if it's as inevitable as you say, I'm all for putting that off as long as possible."

Meifen looked away, knowing that what he said was true. It surprised her to realize that she had come to like this brash and arrogant young man, and that she would be sorry to see him suffer. She couldn't understand his unwillingness to join their tribe, but there was no question that he _was_ unwilling, and that meant that he would have to be convinced. Which was not something she wanted to contemplate, as she turned aside from the thought once more.

The girl tried another tack. "You know, my father was an outsider too, and joined the tribe by defeating my mother. He didn't seem to think it was such a bad thing."

"Was he given a choice?" Ranma asked curiously.

"Joining the tribe _was_ his choice," Meifen answered seriously. "He challenged my mother because he wanted to marry her, and he was willing to join the Joketsuzoku."

Ranma sat back and closed his eyes. "Cases aren't parallel then. I never wanted to marry Shampoo or become one of your people. I didn't challenge Shampoo ... well, not the first time, anyway. It was completely an accident. I'll admit there was another time when I was being a complete ass, when Shampoo pretended she'd changed her mind about me. Still never wanted to marry her, though."

"But even if you _could_ get away," Meifen pressed on, "what would you do? Just go back to Japan and marry this other girl there? She couldn't possibly be as strong a warrior as Shampoo."

"That 'other girl' has a name," Ranma said coldly. "Akane. And yes, I fully intend to marry her. I'll admit that Shampoo may be more skilled than Akane purely from the point of view of being a warrior. So what? Do you really think that's all that matters? And Akane's a pretty damn good martial artist even so. In just about any other respect, Shampoo can't touch her. Well, except for cooking. No question Shampoo's a better cook. But Akane's ... getting better. Slowly."

Meifen shook her head, baffled that any martial artist could want someone other than the strongest possible mate. After all, you wanted to have the best children possible, right? She drew her feet up onto her bed to sit cross-legged and settled back, trying to pass some of the time in quiet meditation.

* * *

The three men and Akane had climbed up a steep slope to a good vantage point from which they could look down on the village without being seen. Although they had no way of knowing, it was the same position from which Ranma had watched the village a few days previously. The sun in the west was just touching the mountaintops, and the shadows would soon cover everything in darkness. Mousse was describing the layout of the place, pointing as he did so.

"Do you have any guesses where they might be keeping Ranma?" Akane asked.

The Chinese boy replied, "Only two places are likely. One is Cologne's home. She might want to keep him close under her eye, and Shampoo's, but it is not very secure. If they have reason to think he will not try to escape, then he is probably there. But I doubt anything they might have done to Ranma will allow them to feel that safe. Not yet. So he is probably in a cell under the armory."

Genma looked over the town again. "That's the long building with the green roof? Over to the right of the fairground?"

Mousse sneered. "The _fairground_? Have you no better word in Japanese? What a ... demeaning term for the place where some of our most important decisions have been made. Where the village champion is selected. Where ..."

Genma cut his tirade short. "So what do you call it then?"

Mousse spoke a word in Chinese. Akane scrunched her face up as she searched through her limited vocabulary in the language, then said, "Doesn't that basically mean 'fairground'?"

Mousse reddened, and turned his face back to his home village without answering. After a moment of further observation he gave a curious grunt. "Huh. I wonder what happened to the dojo. There's just an empty spot where it used to stand. Uh, or maybe a hole in the ground. It's a little hard to tell with the shadow across it." His eyes scanned further. "For that matter, some other buildings seem to be missing. Could they have been doing some renovation since I was here last?"

Genma dismissed this as unimportant, and had Mousse describe the interior of the armory and how the cells were laid out. When he was satisfied with that, the older man asked, "Do your people post sentries? If so, where and what sort of patrol pattern do they use?"

Mousse turned a wary eye on him. "You're not going to hurt them?"

Genma sneered. "Why no. We're going to invite them to sit down with us to tea, and ..."

Konatsu cut him off. "No, we won't hurt the sentries. I will sneak up on them and give them a little something to paralyze them and make them sleep. They will be unharmed."

Mousse nodded, ignoring Genma's sarcasm and answering his question about the patrols, while also pointing out that he had not been home in some months and it was customary to adjust the patrols from time to time. Furthermore, what he knew was mostly from observation, since he was not in the confidences of those who ensured the tribe's security.

Genma took one last look and asked, "Anyone else have any questions?" When no one responded he declared, "We'd best get back to camp then. The sun's dropping fast, and we don't want to be creeping down this mountainside after dark."

When they were back in camp, Genma declared, "We'll wait until an hour past midnight. Konatsu will take care of the sentries, then he, Akane and I will go to the armory and free Ranma. We'll come back here to pick up our supplies, then make as much distance as we can before dawn. Not that I intend to stop at dawn. We have to keep ahead of any pursuit they send after us."

"What should I do?" Mousse asked.

"You'll stay here." Genma cut across Mousse's attempted protest before he could get started. "That's your home village down there boy. Your people. Do you want to risk being caught helping to break someone out? And do you really imagine I intend to trust you once we're down in there?"

"I want Ranma out of there as much as you do!" the boy replied hotly.

"Yeah, but we don't know what might happen while we're getting him out," Genma answered sternly. "Sure, if everything goes off without a hitch, no problem. But if anything does go wrong, how can we be certain you won't try to do something to redeem yourself in their eyes? You're staying here, and that's final."

"The hell it is ...!"

"Mousse." The quiet word came from Akane. "You've been a lot of help getting us here, but he's right. This is for the best. Besides, if the three of us aren't enough to get him out, having four won't make much difference. Do you really want some witness to tell Shampoo that you helped Ranma to escape?"

The Chinese martial artist deflated at this. He could picture his beloved's reaction only too well. "I still think I ought to come," he stated bitterly. "I promised my help, and I can mask myself. I know my way around down there and you don't."

Genma took the decision as already made. "We'd better get some sleep. There won't be any time for sleep after midnight." Without waiting for further argument he crawled into his tent. The others did likewise, although Mousse took some time to fall asleep.

* * *

Ranma's internal alarm woke him. There was no way to tell time inside the windowless cell, but he was sure it was close to midnight. For a moment he wrapped his arms around his stomach and nearly whimpered, but he firmly suppressed the pain of his hunger.

The boy padded over to check on his cellmate. Meifen was sleeping soundly, making that soft double snoring sound he found so odd. He returned to his bed and slowly pulled the cushions off. Would tonight be the night? He'd almost felt that he had it, last night.

Ranma focused on the stone shelf, dimly sensing the chi within it. Traced the pattern with his mind's eye. Searched for the point that was critical to holding together the entire pattern, without really knowing what he was looking for. Wait ... that point in the pattern ... was it just a little dimmer than the rest? He'd been looking for something brighter, or of unusual shape. Deciding that nothing ventured, nothing gained, Ranma pressed his finger to the stone and directed some chi to flow into the pattern, converging on that point.

The stone erupted in his face.

* * *

"I still say that I should come with you," Mousse complained. "You don't know what you might face. If he is not in the armory, if you must search other locations, I could lead you to them. If ..."

Genma sliced a hand through the air. "Enough! If the boy ain't where we expect to find him, we're screwed anyway! You think we can just go marching all over your village without raising an outcry? We're not arguing about this no more." He nodded to the air behind Mousse.

The Chinese boy snarled. "Who put you in charge? If I want ..." No more words came as he slumped forward into Genma's waiting arms. Konatsu, almost invisible in his ninja costume, stepped forward.

"I regret having to do that," the boy said. "He will be most unhappy when he wakes up."

"Can't be helped," Genma replied as he dragged the unconscious Mousse into a tent. He took some rope and secured the boy's wrists and ankles, just in case he awoke prematurely. He checked the knots one last time, then crawled back out of the tent.

By this time Akane had joined them. She had no ninja costume, but she had put on a black gi, and had blackened her face and hands with something Konatsu had given her. Genma had done similarly, save that he didn't have a black gi. But he had put aside his bedraggled white gi in favor of some darker clothing he had with him.

"Let's be about this," Genma told them. "Stay sharp! Remember this ain't a game, and these people are likely to take it serious. You first boy."

Konatsu nodded and slipped out of sight without so much as a whisper of sound. Akane and Genma jogged along in his wake, mentally preparing themselves for the battle they might soon find themselves in.

* * *

"What was that!" exclaimed Meifen, as she fell out of her bed. She jumped to her feet, looking around wildly. Ranma was climbing to his own feet. His bed cushions were on the floor, pebbles were everywhere, and there seemed to be a ... hole? ... in the bed.

Ranma slowly walked toward the girl.

Her sleepy mind struggled to function. "What ...? But ...?" Her eyes cleared. "That was the Bakusai Tenketsu! You know that technique?"

"Afraid so," Ranma told Meifen quietly as he reached her side, slipping an arm comfortingly around her.

"What ... what are you doing?" she asked. Her warrior's brain suddenly shrieked at her to wake up, that you don't allow an opponent to grasp you.

Too late. Ranma had her in a sleeper hold. "Sorry about this. But it's time for me to leave." Meifen struggled valiantly for a couple of minutes, but Ranma held on grimly despite his weakened state and she soon slumped in his arms. The boy laid her gingerly on her bed. He then turned away with a tight little smile on his face. "Showtime!" he announced, happily.

Ranma wasn't at all confident that the steel wall ended where it met the stone, rather than continuing down the hallway, so he ignored the stone walls beside it. Instead he squatted in one of the front corners and focused on the floor. After a minute he touched the floor and leaped back. Stone exploded outward, leaving a large hole behind. Examining it closely, he reached in and underneath the bottom of the steel wall, touching the stone on the other side where the hole did not extend very far into the hallway. There was another explosion of rock, and Ranma wasted no time squirming through and outside, taking extreme caution not to touch the steel above him.

Not knowing whether this might have triggered the alarm he was sure was on the cell door, Ranma sprinted quickly for the stairs. As he jumped up them, someone appeared at the top. This unknown woman had just enough time to demand, "What's going on down ..." before Ranma struck and she crumpled to the floor.

The outer door had a bolt but the wall was of ordinary wood. A well placed kick caused the bolt to break through the wood with a single sharp crack of sound and the door swung open. Ranma wasted no time worrying over whether someone might have heard the noise, although in truth there was no need to worry. The sound had been quick and was loud only in comparison to the nighttime quiet; it did not awaken any nearby sleepers.

Ranma ran quickly, trying to stick to the shadows, wondering where the sentries might be. If there were any outcry his chance of escaping would be small. He swung around the corner of the next building, turning in the direction of the path out of the village.

He collided with someone, causing both of them to stumble backward a couple of steps.

‹Damn it!› Ranma shrieked mentally. ‹Not now!› He launched a desperate attack against the figure in front of him.

The person struck the wall of the building with a resounding thud. An elbow shattered a pane of glass with a crash and tinkling of sound. A short distance away, lights appeared in two windows.

A deep voice wheezed from the figure now lying on the ground, "Quick! Take him down before someone raises an alarm!"

Ranma was suddenly grabbed and held in a strong grip. The face of the person who seized him appeared right in front of his own, close enough to make out the features in the dim light. Both Ranma's and Akane's eyes widened to huge circles to find themselves face to face. Then there was a touch on his back and his sight dimmed, Akane's lovely face fading into blackness.

"Wait! No, Konatsu! It's Ranma!" Akane's cry was an agonized whisper as Ranma settled bonelessly into her arms.

"What!" came simultaneous shocked gasps from both Genma and Konatsu.

Akane examined him quickly, as best she could in the darkness. "He seems to be all right. Doesn't look like he's been eating very well though. Come on! How he got here doesn't matter! We need to get out of here!"

A short distance away a head and shoulders emerged from a window. "Hey! What's going on over there!"

"No more time!" Genma gasped out. "Akane, you can lift more weight than Konatsu. Get Ranma on your back and get out of here. Konatsu, stay right behind her!"

"What about you?" Akane asked, even as she and Konatsu were maneuvering Ranma onto her back. A short distance away someone was starting to shout. "You're stronger than me. You should carry him."

"I'm ... hurt," Genma replied, his voice breathy. "Don't worry. I'll be right behind you."

Akane nodded and took off running. Konatsu was right behind her. Genma stumbled after them, trying to keep up. One hand was pressed hard against his fractured rib, but the bigger problem was the twisted ankle. He slowly fell further behind.

From off to the side some people were coming toward them, running, trying to converge with them. Konatsu looked back and saw that Genma was in trouble. He hesitated, but the older man waved at him to keep running. The pursuers failed to reach them in time to cut off Genma. They reached the outer fields and were running upslope toward the gap between two mountain walls, the older main trailing by fifty meters and gradually falling further back.

As they reached the gap, Genma furiously struck a large, jutting rock, breaking it free. He vindictively sent it careening down the path behind them, causing yelps of dismay as the pursuers leapt aside. This gained him some more space.

As the path continued to climb, Akane started to slow under Ranma's weight. She wished they had had time to change him into a girl. She focused on breathing properly, and trying to funnel some more chi into her legs. This helped, but she was uncomfortably aware that the people chasing after them were not similarly burdened.

Genma saw this as well. Furthermore, his ankle wasn't going to be able to support him for very much longer. He called out, "Keep going! I'm going to use the umisen-ken! I'll catch up after I've stopped this lot!"

Instead of doing as she was told, Akane paused, looking back. "I thought you resealed that technique," she asked, worried.

"Dammit girl! Rules are flexible in situations like this! Now run!" His form wavered and he vanished from sight.

Catching her breath, Akane turned and ran, Konatsu beside her. On her back she felt Ranma start to stir, and wondered what sort of shape he was in, whether he'd be able to run on his own. She hoped so, because if he couldn't their chances of escape were going to go down drastically.

Behind them a group of Joketsuzoku warriors ran straight into a nightmare. Blows struck at them from out of nowhere. Rocks were flying through the air. Clothing vanished. Weapons were torn from their grip and turned against them. At no time did they catch a glimpse of anything against which they could strike to defend themselves.

There were a score of them to start with, however, and they were well trained. Close to half an hour passed before the last one was finally defeated. Genma slowly picked up a spear, weary beyond belief, placing the butt end on the ground to use as a walking stick so he could keep the weight off his ankle. He turned and began shuffling up the path once more.

At that moment a cascade of water washed over him, transforming him into a panda bear. The change startled him for a moment, and in that moment a staff struck him in the back of the neck. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Hmph!" Cologne said to no one. "I always knew there had to be more under that lazy exterior than you were willing to show the world, if you were the one who trained my son-in-law. A pity that you're already married or I'd make one of these women kiss you as soon as she woke up. Ah, well. Son-in-law will have to do." She looked up the path where she knew the others must have gone, and gave the panda a kick. "And we _will_ get him back. After all, we have you now."

* * *

**Author's note:**

So Ranma and Genma have swapped places as prisoners of the Joketsuzoku. What will be the next move by Ranma, Akane, Konatsu and Mousse? What new plans will Cologne set in motion? How will Lotion react? Stay tuned for the next chapter.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	5. Recaptured

**Fighting Chance  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Cologne and Shampoo trick Ranma into following Akane to China, but Akane is fast on the trail. Will she be able to defeat overwhelming odds to save Ranma? Who will win her happy ending in the greatest catfight ever?

* * *

**Chapter 5. Recaptured**

Cologne kept a close watch on the panda while she worked to revive the fallen warriors. When she finally got one of the women onto her feet, more or less, she ruthlessly sent her back to the village for reinforcements. After all, there was no way that the villagers could know that the original group of warriors had failed, that they were not still in pursuit, and both help and additional fighters would be needed.

Lotion showed up an hour later with another forty women, including Shampoo and a shamefaced Meifen. Cologne had gotten a few more of the original force back on their feet, who were helping to tend the rest. She was keeping a close eye on Genma, making sure that the wounded and unconscious panda bear stayed put.

Most of the newcomers took over the task of seeing to their fallen comrades. A select group, however, was assigned the task of securing Genma. Under Cologne's direct supervision, they tied the panda bear to a pole and carried him back to the village with orders to put him in the cell recently occupied by his son. Naturally, they were to first confirm that the hole Ranma had made in the floor had been filled in, as per instructions Lotion had given before she left.

Leaving the younger warriors to carry out their tasks, the two elders walked off a short distance from the others. Cologne studied the sky rather than meeting the eyes of the woman standing beside her. Quietly, almost conversationally, she said, "It'll start getting light in about two and a half hours, maybe a little less. Not much point in going after them until then." Now she did turn her regard upon the other. "We have to get him back, you know."

Lotion cocked her head toward the grumbling of wounded pride coming from those of the women who were conscious, and regarded her old rival with mild surprise. "What? Were you afraid I'd insist on letting him make good his escape?" She shook her head. "I'd rather you hadn't brought him here, but letting it end like this shames all of us. I'll do my part to help bring him back. Any idea who the other trespassers are?"

It was Cologne's turn to shake her head. "I was too far behind. Didn't catch up till near the end of the fight with Genma Saotome. Whoever the people who came with him are, they had gone on ahead with the boy. But we know this country better than they do, even if they are willing to leave the man behind. Besides, from what Meifen has said, my son-in-law is weak from not eating. He won't be up to a hard march."

Lotion grunted her agreement. She then asked, "Did Meifen, or any of the ones who came with me, tell you of the hole he made under the wall in the cell?" Cologne nodded warily, and Lotion continued, sounding peeved. "Why didn't you tell us that he knew the Bakusai Tenketsu?"

Cologne sighed, turning away to look up the path where Ranma must have gone. "Because I didn't know that he did. _I_ certainly never trained him in it."

Lotion stroked her chin meditatively. "I wonder why he held off so long before using it to escape. It makes no sense that he waited while growing steadily weaker."

This was a point which Cologne herself had been contemplating since being informed of the manner of the boy's escape. "My best guess is that he didn't know how to use the technique before we imprisoned him. It probably took him that long to figure it out on his own, once he realized it was the only way out of there."

"That's ... pretty amazing," Lotion admitted after a moment of thoughtful silence.

"That's Ranma Saotome," Cologne agreed with a quirk of her lips. "Why do you think I want him so much?"

Lotion pondered for a moment more, and then inquired seriously, "Do you honestly think he will be able to settle down and accept the life he would have among our people? I don't see him as the sort to bow to anyone, and he could be very dangerous if he cannot be tamed."

"Very dangerous indeed," Cologne affirmed. "But he'll accept his life here. One way or another. I'll see to that myself." The steel in her voice could be heard clearly.

One of the women kneeling beside an unconscious girl looked up and beckoned. The two elders walked over to see what was needed.

* * *

When Ranma awoke, he made the transition to full alertness almost instantly. Akane gratefully let him down to stand on his own feet, at which point he grabbed her in a bone crushing hug. "You came for me," he whispered in her ear. "Thank you."

Akane pulled back and looked him in the eye, trying for but failing to achieve a glare. "You don't have to sound so disbelieving. You'd have come for me, wouldn't you?"

Ranma shrugged. "Well, yeah ..."

Akane looked at him meaningfully. "Okay, then. You're not going to tell me I should've stayed home, are you?"

The young man's lips quirked up, slowly becoming a real grin. "Naw. That'd be sensible. You wouldn't be my tomboy fiancée if you were sensible. I love you just the way you are. Wouldn't change a thing."

Preparing to take offense at the initial perceived insult, the way the statement ended blindsided her. Akane gasped. "You ... you what?"

"What what?"

"What was that you just said? There at the end?" she demanded.

"Oh, that! I said, 'I wouldn't change a thing.' About you, I mean."

"No! Before that!" Akane stamped her foot. "What did you say _before_ that part?"

Ranma pulled her in close again, and spoke directly into her ear. "I. Love. _You_." He drew back, gazing into her shocked expression, then glanced briefly at the trees and mountain slope around them in the darkness. It wasn't exactly the setting he'd pictured, but ...

He probably ought to get down on one knee for this. On the other hand he was awfully tired, and besides he didn't want to let go of her yet, now that the long dark period of worrying about her had ended. So he pulled her close again instead, and spoke in a voice which shook with longing mixed with terror at what he was doing. "I ... I thought I'd lost you. Again. No more. I ... I can't live without you. Akane, I know I'm a baka, and a jerk, and worse, but ... would you marry me?"

She hung on for dear life, afraid that if she relaxed her grip she'd fall. Akane stared over Ranma's shoulder, eyes wide, unable to credit her ears. "You ... you ... want to ... you ... me ... seriously?"

"Yep." He gathered all the courage he possessed. "And if you don't stop me, I'm going to kiss you right now." He pulled back to look her in the eyes. She stared back, transfixed, frozen, speechless. Ranma leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, gently, but willing her to feel everything, all of the emotions which had been driving him since he had left Japan.

At first Akane was sure that she was in some sort of dream. That had to be it - they hadn't yet reached their destination, she was asleep in her tent, waiting for someone to call for her, to tell her it was time to make the rescue attempt. She decided to just go with the flow and enjoy the dream before the inevitable awakening. But as the kiss went on, the realization slowly grew that she was indeed awake. And if she was awake, then Ranma really was kissing her. Which meant he really had just told her that he loved her, and he really really had just asked her to marry him.

She pulled back suddenly, staring up into his face with all the surprise that she felt. "I'm not asleep?" she asked timidly.

Ranma smirked and shook his head no.

"You really mean it?" she asked, begging for reassurance.

His face grew solemn and he nodded.

Akane took a deep breath, let it out slowly and then said, warningly, "If I wake up and this is just another dream, then I'm going to strangle you, Ranma Saotome." And with that promise, she pulled him close and hugged him fiercely, raising her face to his and kissing him with all of the passion she could muster. She moaned softly into his mouth.

"Umm ... hmm ... uh ..." The sound of someone clearing his throat loudly, while managing to convey embarrassment at the same time, finally caused the couple to come up for air. The two teenagers turned equally dazed expressions upon their companion.

"Ranma-sama, Akane-sama ... I hate to interrupt, but ... the entire Joketsuzoku tribe may be showing up here any minute now."

Ranma blinked a few times. "Uh ... right, right. Uh, _Konatsu_? Is that you? Uh, wow, it's great to see you. Um ... Thanks for helping Akane. That was really great of you." He paused for only a moment, collecting his wits. "Right. We need to get moving. But I need something to eat, soon, or I'm going to really slow us down. I haven't eaten in a few days."

"You mean they wouldn't _feed_ you?" Akane snarled, literally.

Her fiancé chuckled. "They tried, but the food was drugged. I didn't eat any of it 'cause I wanted to keep my head clear so I could escape. I didn't know anyone was coming for me." He squeezed Akane in close again, expressing his gratitude nonverbally. Besides, he was rejoicing in the reassurance of her presence, something he promised himself he would never take for granted again.

The unexpected embrace had the effect of dampening Akane's rage over the Amazon's treatment of Ranma, replacing one emotion with another. With an effort she turned her attention to her fiancé's immediate needs. "We have food back at our camp. We're headed that way anyway. Just remember, we can't afford to wait there very long."

They resumed their progress at a slow jog. After taking only a few steps Akane added, "I just hope your father catches up quickly. I'm a bit worried about him."

Ranma stumbled for a moment before he regained his footing, coming up beside her again. "My pop? He's with you? Where is he? What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Akane asked, looking over at him as they ran.

Ranma shook his head, but then vented a soft curse. "Aw, man, don't tell me _he_ was the person I ran into just before you grabbed me. I hit him pretty hard!"

Akane nodded. "Sorry, but yeah, that was him. And you did hurt him, at least a little. That's why I was the one carrying you. He dropped behind to slow down the people chasing us. I hope he'll catch up soon."

Ranma gnawed at his lip worriedly, but knew there was nothing else he could do at the moment. He needed food before anything else. With luck, his pop would catch up to them before he finished eating. Or better still, considering Genma's appetite, immediately after he finished eating. Ranma knew his old man wouldn't be taken easily. Not unless someone like Cologne was there. He shied away from that thought.

"So. It was the three of you then?" the boy asked.

Akane smiled. "Not quite. Mousse is with us too. He's back at camp, tied up. Your dad didn't trust him when it came to a rescue attempt inside his own home village."

Ranma grunted. "Don't blame him. Don't think I would've trusted him either. For that matter, I wouldn't of trusted him this far. Why'd you bring him along anyway?"

They arrived in the camp. Akane started to pull some food out of a bag, but Ranma yanked it out of her grip, grabbing at the packages greedily. He tore into them, eating faster than she had ever seen him eat before. He ignored her warnings that he shouldn't eat so fast after having been starved. Giving up the attempt as a bad job, Akane motioned Konatsu to join her, and they set about untying a glaring Mousse.

Once they were done with that, Konatsu quickly packed everything in the small camp. He pointed out, needlessly he hoped, "We need to leave as soon as possible. We don't know how far behind pursuit is."

As Ranma's hunger abated enough that he was able to start thinking again, he slowed his chewing and took notice of his three companions sitting nearby. Mousse was wearing his glasses, watching him with an attitude of hostility, but Ranma didn't feel there was any mystery about why. Not after the way they parted company in Japan. Instead he turned to Akane.

"So like I was asking just before we got here, why'd you bring duck-boy along?"

"Saotomeee ..." The Chinese boy's voice emerged in a low growl.

Akane's voice snapped, "Hush! He only does it because you let it get to you," displaying a magnificent capacity for seeing the speck in her neighbor's eye. She turned to her fiancé. "And you! Stop picking on Mousse! He's been very helpful. We needed someone along who could speak Chinese. You know how fluent in the language your father isn't, and I ... uh ... still had a lot to learn." It was too dark for anyone to see the rosy hue which came to her cheeks.

"I didn't know you knew any Chinese at all," Ranma replied, befuddled.

Akane fought embarrassment as she responded. "I, uh, found out you had been studying it, and, uh, thought that I should, so I could, um ..." She finished in a rapid whisper. "... go-to-China-with-you."

"Oh." The pigtailed boy didn't know how to respond to that. Then he gave a weak laugh. "Well, I suppose in a sense you did. A little sooner than I intended, and a few kilometers off course from where I meant to go." He switched to Chinese. "How much can you speak?"

She responded in the same language. "Mousse teach while travel. Hear good now. Still sound dumb when speak."

Ranma chuckled. He returned to Japanese. "Yeah, you do, a bit. It's kinda cute though. How about if I work on it with you on our way back home, and then we start studying it together?"

"Sounds good to me," Akane told him with a smile. "But can't Mousse give both of us lessons on the way home?"

Ranma eyed the Chinese boy speculatively. "Shampoo's back in the village. I figured he'd want to go back there so he could be with her."

Mousse snorted, and there was a sneer in his voice when he spoke. "I am not so lacking in honor as that, Saotome. I promised my aid, and I will abide by my promise until that aid is no longer required. Besides, I want to see for myself that you get out of China without being recaptured." He shrugged, making a face. "In any event, if I were to appear in the village right now, people would suspect that I had a hand in your escape, which would not endear me to my beloved Shampoo."

Konatsu cleared his throat again. "I hate to keep bringing this up, but we _are_ being chased. Shouldn't we be going?"

Ranma bit his lip. "But what about my pop?"

Akane tried to sound hopeful as the suggested, "We can't do much without knowing what's happened. He'll probably catch up to us on the way. Or if they were getting too close, he may have been forced to go into hiding until his injuries heal a little. If we stay here, we'll just get caught, and you must realize you're in no shape to fight."

She paused, then added, "If we can keep you out of their hands for a couple of days while you get your strength back, and if Uncle Saotome hasn't caught up by then, we can circle back around to find out where he is, and help or rescue him as necessary.

The pigtailed martial artist continued to chew on his lip for a minute, but loathe though he was to admit it, he knew that Akane was right. Supposing that the worst had happened, and the Amazons had managed to capture his old man. No doubt, if his pop was a prisoner, they'd try to use him as bait to trap them, but by the same token the Amazons would have to keep the old man alive to do that. Ranma knew he himself had more fight left in him than Akane was giving him credit for, but she wasn't completely wrong either. He figured that he could probably still handle Shampoo or any of her peers, but not in the numbers which he'd face, and he definitely didn't want to try taking on one of the elders right now.

"Okay," he finally answered decisively. "In that case, let's get out of here. It's gonna be light soon. It looks like everything was magically packed up while I was busy eating. Let's hightail it out of here."

Konatsu frowned slightly on hearing this.

As she lifted one of the packs, Akane asked, "Want to swing by Jusenkyo on the way?"

There was regret in Ranma's response, but at the same time steel determination. "No. If they don't pick up our trail, that's the first place they'll look for me. I've lived with my curse this long. Jusenkyo will keep."

The sky was turning gray by this time, as they began the hike to freedom. Ranma was unhappy he had to leave his own pack behind, but they couldn't afford to backtrack to where he'd hidden it before his misguided attack on the Amazon village. He knew very well that their continued freedom, possibly even their lives, were more important than a few possessions. He concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, setting himself to endure a forced march in his current state.

The next couple of hours passed quickly. The sun was peeking above the ridges in front of them, and they had traveled several kilometers. Under other circumstances it would have been a very pleasant hike, with the crisp mountain air and beautiful scenery. None of them were inclined to spend time enjoying the view, however, nor did they waste breath on conversation.

They had just finished using a rope to work their way down a cliff, one by one, when Konatsu pulled up short. "Wait!" he hissed.

The others stopped instantly, following his gaze down the mild slope in front of them. Ranma was the next to speak. "Oh. Crap."

Mousse and Akane didn't bother to say anything as more and more women emerged from the trees onto the trail below them. As one they turned to look back up the cliff behind them, scowling. Then they shrugged off the packs, letting them fall to the ground. They all looked grim as more warriors appeared at the bottom of the slope, bringing the number up to a couple of score.

"I think we're in trouble," Akane said pointlessly. They could all see a half dozen women fitting arrows to bows.

Mousse felt his throat constricting at the sight of Shampoo among the warriors below. A wild impulse urged him to run down there and throw himself at her feet, to try to claim that it was all a misunderstanding. At the same moment words echoed inside his head, words spoken by both Ranma and Genma, suggesting that he would turn on them the moment they ran into any of his people. Limbs shaking, the young Chinese man slowly shifted into a combat stance.

"Surrender!" called an ancient voice. Cologne stepped into sight.

"Never, you old ghoul!" Ranma shouted back.

"Then you leave me no choice!" was Cologne's response. She chopped down with her arm and the arrows flew. As per instructions they were targeted on the legs of the four teenagers, intended to wound and make them easy prey. Or at least easier prey.

Mousse was a tangle of emotions. There was trepidation at having been caught aiding and abetting the escape. There was anger and frustration that his attempt to help the others had been thwarted. There was exasperation with the old mummy that she just _wouldn't give up_. On top of all of this was outright fury that a couple of those arrows were flying toward _him_.

Knives attached to chains shot out of the Chinese boy's sleeves. All six arrows were struck in midair and knocked harmlessly aside. The chains disappeared again as quickly as they'd appeared, back inside his sleeves, ready to use again. As followup arrows were quickly pulled from quivers and fitted to the strings, he wondered how long he would be able to keep it up before an arrow got through his defense.

In the event he needn't have worried. Even as Mousse stopped the first flight of arrows, Konatsu drew six shuriken and threw them with deadly accuracy. Before the archers could take aim for another attack, each shuriken sliced through a bow string before going on to bury itself in the shoulder of the archer holding the bow. They shrieked in pain, dropping the now useless weapons.

Ranma glanced over at Akane, hissing the urgent command, "Get back up the cliff! Now! Hurry!"

She hissed right back. "There is no way in hell I'm leaving you!"

The boy growled, baring his teeth. "Dammit! There's no time to argue! Get your butt up there!"

Akane matched both his growl and the baring of teeth. "If there's no time to argue, then don't! I'll never leave you again!"

The warriors were running up the slope now, most of them carrying a weapon of one kind or another. They were watching Mousse and Konatsu for further thrown attacks, and when Konatsu threw another spread of tiny missiles, only a few struck their targets among the dodging figures.

Ranma dared not wait any longer while the enemy closed. With a scream of frustration for his stubborn fiancée, the pigtailed martial artist ran to meet the attackers. This caused several in the front to hesitate, as they remembered the previous fight with him.

Konatsu and Akane were right behind him. Mousse paused one last time, feeling like a traitor as he recognized several of the warriors opposing them. But he was sincere in his belief that making Ranma one of their tribe would result in disaster, and it was already too late to pretend he had not been involved. So he joined the melee, attacking his countrywomen. After that, there was no time to think of anything except attack and counter, strike and defend.

Things went fairly well for the Japanese group at first, but they were facing too many opponents, and Ranma was not in top condition. Blows started to get through. Konatsu took a hit on the forehead which bled freely, partially blinding him on one side. Mousse received a long gash along his forearm. Akane and Ranma, staying close together, both took a number of painful blows.

Shampoo had been holding back, but suddenly saw her chance. She had a clear path to Akane. Lifting her sword over her head with both hands she ran in, yelling in Japanese, "Die, husband stealer!" This was followed almost immediately by a wordless, baritone scream from Ranma.

Watching from below, Cologne nearly bit through her tongue at her heir's imbecility in providing an enemy such a warning. Akane spun and ducked, managing to grab the descending arm to give it a mighty yank. The sword flew into the trees and Shampoo did a somersault through the air before she landed on her feet.

Before she could resume her attack, Ranma appeared in front of Shampoo, his scream now containing words. "Stay! Away! From! Akane!" He was striking at speeds too fast for Shampoo to defend herself, and she was backing away steadily, gasping in pain at the blows getting through her defenses.

Akane had no time to watch, as Meifen now attacked her. The two traded blows, but Meifen's eyes widened as she realized that the other girl was at least her equal. The young Amazon dodged a punch only to realize too late that it was a feint, and the kick which followed sent her flying through the air. Meifen struck the ground hard and remained there, dazed and unmoving.

Lotion and Cologne decided that it was time that they got involved. They headed up the slope, aiming to take out Mousse and Konatsu first as those two were closest. Not yet seeing the elders, Akane turned to face the next pair of warriors who were bearing down on her. But everyone paused as a splash was followed by a high pitched shriek which pierced their eardrums.

The frozen mob, without regard for current opponents, turned to see Ranma running away from a stream with a purple and white cat clutching him around the head, pressed into his face. A few seconds earlier he had thrown Shampoo through the air, only to have her land in the stream, from which she had immediately jumped straight at him. Ranma was now running blindly, waving his arms around and shrieking at the top of his lungs. The sheer amount of terror filling those shrieks served to keep everyone spellbound.

Cologne couldn't believe that Shampoo would have been so foolish as to jump at her husband-to-be and grab onto him, even though she must have done so. "Shampoo! Fool girl! Let go! Hurry!"

The words came too late. Ranma stopped dead still, then let out a terrible yowl of fury. Finally coming to her senses, Shampoo sprang away, running as if her life depended on it. Which, no doubt, it did.

Only a few people present understood what that yowl meant. It was the reason Shampoo was running so fast. Mousse felt a dagger of ice stab at him. Only the fact that they had gotten Ranma away from the village kept this from being one of his nightmares brought to life. Akane did not fear for herself, but was worried for both Ranma and the people they had been fighting.

As for Cologne, she tried without success to suppress the first twinge of fear she had so far felt that morning. Only once before had she faced Ranma in the neko-ken, and on that occasion she had wisely called a truce. She had no desire to face it today. Yet what choice did she have?

Ranma gave another yowl and then attacked. Several warriors, not understanding the danger, met his charge. They fell back with agonized cries of pain, pressing upon gouges in their skin to try to staunch the flow of blood. A sword and a mace were reduced to scrap before the wielders were likewise forced to flee.

A hoarse whisper spoke from beside Cologne. "That ... that's the neko-ken!"

The old woman turned to see that Lotion was staring at Ranma, her face gone visibly pale. Cologne spoke quickly, "Come! We must stop him!"

Lotion turned to regard her, with eyes gone impossibly wide. "Are you _mad_?! One doesn't stop the neko-ken! He is drawing energy now from the world all around us! He is inhumanly fast and strong! Drugs would be burned out of his system! Magic would bounce off of his aura! We should flee before we die!"

Cologne answered through gritted teeth. "The Japanese girl can control him. We must control her. But we dare not attack her directly." With no further words she leaped forward. Both Mousse and Konatsu were distracted by Ranma's behavior and two economical blows dropped both boys to the ground, unconscious. The old woman's mouth went dry as Ranma turned to face her.

"Tendo-san!" Cologne shouted quickly. "Call him off, or they die!" Her staff hovered above the prone forms at her feet.

The pigtailed boy's lips were pulled back in a snarl and his eyes were burning. His muscles tensed to spring. In a voice choking with rage, Akane called, "Ranma! No!"

He turned to face her, his head tilted in question. Akane beckoned with her hand. "Ranma. Come here. Please?"

Ranma slowly padded over to her. He sniffed at her hand, then rubbed the side of his head against it, starting to purr. Akane couldn't keep a smile from touching her lips, although tears of anger still adorned her cheeks at the threat to Mousse and Konatsu.

Those warriors who were still on their feet watched in silence, not daring to draw near. Akane looked up, turning hate-filled eyes on Cologne. "We seem to be at an impasse."

"Indeed," the elder answered her. "Yet we hold these two here. And Genma Saotome is our prisoner back in the village. Will you leave them to their fates?"

Akane was surprised at how reasonable she could sound in response. "I'm afraid I don't see how their situation would be improved if we surrendered to you."

"Perhaps. But ..."

Cologne was cut off by a tug on her sleeve. Lotion hissed softly, dangerously, "I would speak with you."

Biting back frustration, Cologne nodded but refused to step away from her bargaining chips. The two old women spoke together in lowered voices.

Lotion whispered urgently, "That boy is an adept of the neko-ken! Why didn't you tell us?!"

Cologne shrugged. "I don't see that it matters."

"Of course it matters!" Lotion gritted her teeth over the unintended volume of her voice, and fought to speak more quietly. "If he is not willing to live among us, it would be foolhardy to try to force him. It does not matter if you break his waking personality. It does not matter what drugs or magic you use. Sooner or later he _will_ reenter the neko-ken, and when he does ... you _must_ know what will happen then!"

Again Cologne shrugged. "We must see then that he accepts his place among us before that happens. By whatever means necessary."

"Over my dead body," Lotion hissed through gritted teeth.

"Do not tempt me," the elder beside her sneered. "And it is not your decision to make. If you wish to bring it up before the council, you may. But first we must get them back to the village."

"You foolish old ..." Lotion bit off the words. She thought hard for several long seconds. "This is not over," she said venomously. "In the meantime, as soon as the boy is himself again, we will _both_ swear that _no_ harm will come to his companions. That is the _only_ way I will agree to this madness. It must be obvious even to you that the neko-ken will never be tamed if we have hurt those for whom he cares."

Cologne considered the other's words, and decided to make this concession. In fact, she even went so far as to admit to herself, privately, that there might be some wisdom to those words. So she nodded and said, "Agreed."

The two elders faced Akane once more, but remained standing where they were, over the prone bodies of Mousse and Konatsu. Ranma noticed their regard and started softly growling. It was Lotion who spoke now, in carefully precise Japanese. "You must come back to the village with us. _But_, we give you our word that if you do, no harm shall befall you, or these two boys," she gave Mousse a light kick, "or Ranma Saotome's father. We will repeat that promise once Ranma recovers."

Akane considered this carefully. She hated the thought of giving in and letting them imprison Ranma again, but was realistic enough to accept that it was probably the best offer that they were going to get. Boldly she requested, "Will you also promise that from now on you won't put any drugs in Ranma's food? Or, well, really, will you promise not to give any of us drugs, in any form?"

Lotion hesitated only for a moment, ignoring Cologne's hiss beside her. She nodded and answered, "Yes." The truth was, she still heartily wished Ranma out of the village as quickly as possible, and hoped to convince the council to agree this time.

"Okay," Akane said. "If you'll please clear a path to the stream, I'll try to bring him out of it."

Several people hurriedly moved out of the way, dragging a couple of their less fortunate comrades. Akane murmured in Ranma's ear, then lay a hand on his shoulder and began walking toward the stream. He walked on all fours beside her, watching everyone warily.

Unnoticed by anyone else, Shampoo rubbed herself up against Cologne's legs. The elder looked down, then held out her arms. Shampoo jumped up into them.

When they reached the stream, Akane knelt down and hugged Ranma for a minute, pressing her cheek against his. Then she leaned down and scooped up some water in her palms, releasing it over the boy's head. Ranma sprang back with a yip, changing into a girl as he did so. He looked around for a moment, bewildered, before dropping back into a fighting stance.

Akane stepped up behind him, putting her hand on his shoulder again. "Ranma? You went into the neko-ken, but they have Konatsu and Mousse. I had to surrender or Cologne would have killed them." Ranma spun and stared at her. "I _had_ to. And they promised that they won't hurt me, or Mousse or Konatsu, or your father. They said they captured him, too. _And_ they promised no more drugs. I ... I didn't know what else to do."

Ranma's chest tightened at the heartbroken tone in her words. He knew at that moment that he couldn't blame her, not for making the only choice that she could. Instead of speaking he simply stepped close and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. Neither of them heard the low growl coming from the region of Cologne's arms.

Lotion motioned forward some women to pick up Mousse and Konatsu and carry them. She turned toward the Japanese couple and said, "These warriors will go on ahead, carrying the other two members of your party. They'll be out of sight, but not out of shouting distance. We'll let the two of you walk under your own power, but if you cause any trouble, the people with your two friends will know, and ..." She left the sentence hanging.

Ranma turned toward the two elders. "I need to hear your oath myself."

Lotion frowned, but said, "I swear on the honor of the Joketsuzoku that so long as you cause no trouble, that none of our people will harm the girl with you, or Mousse or that other boy, or your father. I also swear that we will make no further attempts to drug you or your companions. Is that satisfactory?"

Ranma gave her a hard look, not feeling very agreeable. "We just fought and defeated a bunch of your warriors. I want you to promise that no one is gonna try to give Akane a Kiss of Death because of that, or try to make Konatsu marry 'em."

Lotion ground her teeth a bit, but was willing to agree to just about anything that wasn't outright shameful if it might get this troublemaker out of her hair a little faster. "I promise. This girl, Akane, and the boy - Konatsu, you said? - are hereby granted immunity from the laws governing defeat by outsiders. Unless they specifically challenge someone to invoke the law."

Cologne was definitely grinding her teeth by now, and nearly broke her jaw from clenching it tighter when Ranma demanded that she repeat the oath. But she did so, even though it sounded as if every word were being dragged out of her, fighting not to leave her mouth.

Thus they all made a slow march back to the village of the Joketsuzoku. Ranma and Akane were taken to separate cells, and the doors closed on them, shutting them away from each other. This time pairs of permanent guards were posted just outside the cell doors. Lotion and Cologne left together, separately planning the arguments they would use to sway the council.

* * *

The first thing that Mousse saw when he awoke was Shampoo's face, very close, looking at him intently. It was like the answer to a prayer, a dream come true. Sitting up quickly, he cried out, "Shampoo! My love ..."

His head rocked with the slap that cracked across his cheek like a clap of thunder, the force of it sending him tumbling off the bed to land on his hands and knees. He looked up to see his beloved's face twisted into something ugly. "Traitor!" she hissed.

"No!" he exclaimed. "Never ..."

"Yes! Traitor!" Her words were filled with venom. Oddly, the thought occurred to the boy that it was a long time since he had heard Shampoo speak in Chinese.

She continued to do so, talking rapidly, rage dripping from every word. "You helped my enemy! You helped her to steal my beloved! You ignored our laws, threw them aside! I knew you were a fool, but I had not thought you had forgotten who and what you are! I never expected you to be my enemy!"

He protested in horror, "I'm not your enemy!"

Shampoo kicked him, causing Mousse to grunt with pain and bounce off the wall, ending up stretched out on the floor. "Enemy!" she yelled. "Now and always! I will never forgive you for this."

"But ... but he isn't the man for you."

Shampoo snarled, hurt and angrier for the pain. "And who is, you? Blind Mousse? Foolish Mousse?" She laughed darkly. "Never! I may have put up with your silly ways in the past, but no more. You betrayed me, helped to steal what is mine! You disgust me! Ranma is my airen, not you, not anyone else. He will be _my_ husband. He will love me, and he will give me strong daughters, and everyone will envy me!"

Mousse shook his head as he looked up at her from the floor, his heart breaking. "You're even more blind than me. Ranma Saotome will never love you. Not if you wait until the end of time."

"Shut up, stupid Mousse!" Shampoo snapped. "I say he will!"

The intense pain brought by his statement, the truth in those words she dared not let herself see, ignited a fury beyond anything the young woman had ever felt before. It was vital, for the sake of her own pride, to cause pain in return. She drew herself upright, her face turning hard and cold.

"You are dead to me. Your name will never pass my lips again. Your shadow is never to cross my shadow. If you ever interfere in my life again, I swear on my honor that I will kill you."

With the last word she spun around, not waiting to hear what he would say. She marched out of the room, slamming the door behind her. It was just as well that she hadn't waited, for Mousse had no words to speak, and hardly a conscious thought in his head. His heart had shattered, the pieces scattering across the cold floor, as he heard his beloved Shampoo pronounce the words of shunning. Any hope that she would someday come to her senses had just turned to dust and blown away.

Slowly Mousse collapsed to lay face down on the floor, arms stretched out. The proud young man was unable to keep tears from leaking out at the corners of his eyes. His world had ended, and he wished only that the ground would open up and swallow him.

But the universe had other ideas. The door opened once more, and a female voice called out harshly. "Stand up, Mousse. Come with me. You are to appear before the Council of Elders."

* * *

Mousse entered the meeting hall, head down, only to hear shouts being cast back and forth.

"You should have told us! Warned us! Never once, not in any of your reports, did you ever mention the neko-ken!"

"Because I knew how you would react!" Cologne returned with equal volume. "The neko-ken does _not_ make the wielder invincible. Its students have been killed before. We can control him, and it!"

Lotion managed to shout, despite her clenched teeth. "They may have been killed, but they have never been subdued! What possible use is it to bring him here when, the next time he enters that state, we would be forced to kill him? Or do you imagine there won't _be_ a next time? When the girl _you_ want him to marry is cursed to turn into a cat!"

"I plan to fix that!"

An elder sitting near Lotion sneered. "You cannot cure her."

Cologne banged the butt of her staff on the floor. "I never said I would try! I will override her curse with another. Perhaps the Spring of Drowned Wolf."

Lotion waved a hand in the air. "That's completely beside the point. Do you plan to kill every cat in the village? Including the strays? What about the various species which inhabit these mountains. There _will_ be a next time!"

Another elderly woman spoke up. "Which only means that we must bind him before the next time. I agree with Cologne. The boy is much too valuable to let him slip through our hands."

"And how, precisely, are we to bind the neko-ken?" yet another asked. "It's never been done before."

Cologne shrugged. "That it has never been done is not to say that it cannot be done. I am certain that we can find a way to tame the beast. I would point out that he stopped his attack earlier today."

Lotion nodded, her eyes narrowing. "True. That girl, Akane, was able to control him somehow. It's obvious ..."

Another woman cut her off. "Well, then, there's the answer! We must keep this Akane here for the time being. Healthy and safe of course." She waved a hand negligently, as if someone had suggested otherwise. "Until we find some way to control the lad while he's in the neko-ken. If something triggers it by accident before then, we'll use her to limit the damage."

A murmur of voices met this suggestion. As others began to speak, Lotion watched bitterly as it became apparent that a thin majority supported this proposition. She reflected angrily on how her own stratagem had turned around to bite her. If it were only Cologne and Shampoo who stood to benefit from Ranma's presence, she was sure that an overwhelming majority would stand against the idea, now that the danger of the neko-ken had been revealed. As it was, several of her peers were still hopeful that their own granddaughters or great-granddaughters might win the boy, and so enhance their status.

When the vote was taken, it was decided that the tournament would go forward to decide who would win Ranma as her husband. Lotion stood, drawing their eyes, trying not to tremble from the emotions consuming her. "So be it! But there is one thing on which I insist! Neither Ranma, nor the girl Akane, nor the other boy, Konatsu, are to be kept in cells, or mistreated in any way. If you truly wish to tame the neko-ken, then we must not take actions guaranteed to further enrage Ranma. Keep them under guard yes. Perhaps with chi weights on Ranma. In fact, I think that might be a lot smarter than the useless attempt to drug him. Let the father out too, keeping him similarly bound."

"I don't think that's such a good idea ..." Cologne began.

"I don't really give a damn what you think. It's high time someone else did some thinking," Lotion responded. She visibly took herself in hand, struggling to speak more calmly. "Listen, we _must_ start treating him better, or all of this will be a completely _idiotic_ and pointless exercise which will end when we are forced to kill the boy. Possibly after he has killed several of us. With the weights on them, neither Ranma nor his father will get very far very fast, and the other two won't leave without them. Hell, if it comes to that, if the others want to leave then let them, and good riddance!"

"We have to keep the girl Akane," one of the elders reminded her.

"Yes, yes," Lotion answered in exasperation. "And if you had seen them together you'd know that the chance of her leaving without knowing Ranma's fate is about the same as my chance of becoming empress of China."

Another vote was taken, this time supporting Lotion's position. When it was done, Cologne said, "Since Lotion is so adamant about giving these people their limited freedom, I feel it is only right that she be responsible for them. She should be in charge of the guard placed upon them, and should answer to the council that they do not escape or engage in acts of vandalism."

That motion too was carried, while Lotion scowled blackly at Cologne, who returned the look with an innocent grin.

As everyone sat back and started to relax, Cologne turned toward the door, spying the person standing there. Her lip pulled back. "Well, well. Mousse, the traitor. And what are we to do with you?"

One of the other women, more neutrally aligned, said, "Speak, Mousse! What do you have to say for yourself?"

The young man in question did not even bother to look up. His voice when it came was quiet, forcing some of those sitting further away to strain to hear him. "What _can_ I say? What does it matter what words I choose? Would you kill me? It would be a mercy. Would you banish me? There is nothing left for me here. Do as you will. I can hardly bring myself to care."

"Why did you aid the escape of the Saotome boy?" another old woman demanded. "Were you a tool, or a fool?"

He raised his face at that, eyes burning. "I did what needed to be done! Ranma Saotome is a disaster waiting to happen! He will never choose to stay here, and will do unthinkable damage in his attempts to leave! He will never accept the role you would choose for him! You are fools, fools to even try!"

"You forget your place!" Cologne snapped.

"I. Don't. Care!" Mousse answered her, biting off each word precisely. He flung his arms wide. "Do what you want to me! Kill me! Torture me! Nothing matters anymore! But I did what was right! And if I had to, I'd do it again!"

Several of the elders rose to their feet, anger clouding their expressions. Others bore more sympathetic looks. Lotion stood and walked over to the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. In soft words she said, "Mousse, be silent." She turned with a lifted eyebrow to the guard who had brought Mousse.

"Shampoo has shunned him," that woman said plainly, emotionlessly, but in a voice which carried.

Lotion nodded wearily. Then she turned to the other elders and said, "I tell you in all sincerity, if I had known of the neko-ken before this day, and were I still young and impetuous, I might well have made the same choice as Mousse. Perhaps he should have brought his concerns to us first, but I think the greater punishments are ... not appropriate. He should, of course, cease speaking with such intemperance immediately."

"He should still be punished," Cologne said coolly, after a quick glance around the room showed that Lotion had enough support to win this round if the matter were pressed. "And I would like him removed from Shampoo's presence for a time."

Lotion nodded. "Agreed. Although I suspect that what Shampoo has already done is a greater punishment than anything we could choose to inflict. Mousse, a small delegation is being sent to the Musk, carrying some documents for them to sign in regard to the recent negotiations. You will accompany them as a servant. You will be expected to do whatever is requested of you. Do you understand?"

Mousse shrugged. The Musk were very far from being his favorite people after his last encounter with them, but anything which took him away from the village sounded good right now. "I will do as you say."

Lotion turned back to the room. "Is this acceptable to everyone else?" The murmurs which answered her expressed a range of opinions, but the upshot was that a majority considered this sufficient, at least when combined with the obvious pain from which he already suffered. At a signal to the woman who had accompanied Mousse, the boy was led back out of the room with a final comment that he should be prepared to leave in the morning.

All of the matters requiring immediate attention having been dealt with, the assembly broke up shortly after. Lotion walked out deep in thought, trying to think whether there was some way to finesse the situation to rid them of the presence of Ranma Saotome. Some way short of killing him outright.

* * *

Ranma looked up from where he was sitting on the bed, meditating, when the grill on his cell door opened. An elderly voice called out, "I'm going to open the cell door and come in. Please bear in mind that the others are still in their own cells, under guard, before you attempt anything drastic."

"I'm not stupid," the teenage martial artist replied caustically. He leaned his back against the wall and crossed his ankles.

The door opened to reveal the old woman who had talked to him on previous occasions, the one named Lotion. The one who, come to think of it, had been with Cologne earlier when they had captured him. She was holding some kind of bulky leather equipment in her hands.

"You ready to let us go?" Ranma asked for his own amusement.

The old woman gave him a frustrated smile. "If it were up to me ..." She shook her head. "No, but I have persuaded the other elders to treat you and your companions a little ... less strenuously. If you will cooperate. This means they would not be kept in cells. They would be able to get out into the open air, sleep in normal rooms, and generally have the run of the place. So long as all of you behave yourselves."

"And whatta I gotta do in return?" Ranma inquired sarcastically. "Marry Shampoo?"

Lotion shook her head. "No. Whom you are to marry is still to be determined by the tournament. All you have to do is wear this." She held out the devices in her hands. "You and your father that is. We will trust the other two without such encumbrance, until they give us cause not to."

"What is ... wait, other _two_? What about Mousse?"

Lotion cocked her head. "Do you care? I didn't get the feeling that he liked you much. In any case, he is Joketsuzoku. He is not a prisoner, but is being punished. Not very badly. He will be gone from the village for a time, on an errand. Something real, not just given as punishment. Frankly, there's little need to punish him. After what Shampoo has done, I doubt that anything else we could do would make him suffer more greatly."

Ranma's eyebrows lifted. "What'd she do, swear an oath never to marry him?" At the curious regard in the woman's eyes, he squirmed a bit and added, "And, uh, of course I care. Not that I like him or nothing. But I don't want to see him hurt."

Lotion dropped her burden on the floor. "She has shunned him. In essence, he no longer exists to her. She will never speak to him again, never acknowledge his presence. If he tries to force her to do so, she will kill him."

Ranma swallowed, hard. He tried to imagine how he would feel if Akane did that to him. It hurt too much to consider. "Oh. Damn. That's just ... cruel. He's ... really obsessed with her, y'know?" When he got no response, Ranma pointed to the items on the floor and asked, "So what's that stuff?"

Lotion pushed at them with the end of her staff. "We call them chi weights. An alloy of lead with a couple of other metals I will not name, in a harness of leather. They will be worn on your wrists and ankles. When infused with chi, they will become much heavier than their natural weight, and will seal in place so that you may not take them off. They will also interfere with your ability to use chi attacks. They are our safeguard to ensure that you will mind your manners."

Ranma looked her in the eye. "And if I refuse?"

She stared right back. "Then you and the others stay in your cells."

Ranma continued staring at her for a couple of long minutes. Finally he dropped his eyes, sighing, and said, "Fine. Whatever. If it means you'll let Akane out, I'll do it." He looked up. "You promised she wouldn't be harmed. Remember?"

Lotion's eyes narrowed. "Of course I remember. And you will not insult me again by questioning my sworn word."

He looked away, defiant and perhaps a little embarrassed. The word "sorry" came out so quietly as to be almost inaudible, followed by the mutter, "You gotta remember who raised me. Pop thinks keeping promises is optional."

Ranma watched silently as the harnesses were tied into place. For all their bulky look, they weren't terribly uncomfortable. Better than some of the stupid things his pop had made him put up with in the name of training. When they were all in place, Lotion touched each one briefly with the end of her staff. For a moment he thought that someone had dropped a mountain of each of his limbs.

"Holy crap!" he exclaimed. "How long did you say I gotta wear these?"

Lotion shrugged while suppressing a laugh. Not laughing was made easier by recalling her own memory of wearing them for two weeks of training in her youth, which certainly hadn't been amusing at the time. For that matter, the amount of weight she had just charged them with was much higher than she had borne on that occasion, since the purpose was confinement rather than training.

The elder finally answered, saying simply, "That is yet to be determined. Certainly not until the current situation is resolved."

They visited Genma next, who had a taped ankle and a tightly bandaged chest. He cursed much more vilely than Ranma when the weights were activated, even though he was wearing one less than his son in deference to the injured ankle. Konatsu and Akane were both surprised when they were simply released, but quickly understood when they saw that Ranma and Genma could only shuffle along, slowly.

When Akane stepped out of her cell, the last one to be freed, she had immediately wrapped Ranma in a tight hug. Lotion permitted this for a few moments, but then insisted that they separate.

"Come with me," she told them. "I wish to talk to all of you, and I want to do it someplace where we are less likely to be overheard. I urge you not to look upon this as an opportunity to escape. We will be accompanied by guards," she nodded at the other women standing with them, "and I myself will not hesitate to stop any of you who try. I'll put you right back into one of those cells."

They left the building, accompanied by half a dozen women, all wearing no nonsense expressions on their faces. Four of the women appeared to be in their twenties. The other two were middle aged, perhaps in their fifties. They walked for a while before sitting on a couple of benches within sight of the challenge log, their guards standing nearby, keeping watch.

Lotion sighed. "Well, here we all are. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lotion, an elder of the Joketsuzoku."

"I know who you are," Ranma said sullenly.

Her cane lashed out to rap him on the head. "Keep a civil tongue, youngster. You may know, but your father and friends do not."

"Quiet boy," Genma added sanctimoniously. "Haven't I taught you better manners than that?" Information was the first order of business, in his opinion, and he hoped to get on the old woman's good side at the same time.

Lotion eyed Ranma's father suspiciously, before going on. "It was my idea to let all of you out of your cells, and for the sin of making that suggestion, I have been assigned to keep you in hand. So don't get out of line, or I will not hesitate to slap you down and lock you right back up."

She paused, looking up at a snow covered mountain peak, then returned her regard upon them. "I am in disagreement with Cologne's plan to make Ranma here one of us. As he already knows." She gave an amused flick of her eyes at the boy, which he returned with a scowl. The others stared, Akane and Konatsu surprised to hear of such open dissension among the Amazon elders, and Genma startled that one of them would admit it.

Lotion carefully watched the effect of her announcement. As Genma's expression cycled toward some sly thought, she allowed her own face to harden, and warned, "As Ranma is also aware, I will not betray my people and make unilateral decisions by myself. So do not think to talk me into helping you escape. You would only be wasting your breath. Your guards are already aware of my opinion in this matter and, in fact, share it. Like me, they also will not shirk their duty. Not that it particularly matters, but they all also happen to be close relatives of mine."

The four Japanese citizens looked around themselves at the six guards, who returned their gazes impassively. Lotion continued speaking. "I chose them for several reasons, not the least of which is that I can be confident they will guard you well but will treat you fairly, so long as you give them no cause to do otherwise. They also all speak reasonably fluent Japanese, which is not a universal trait of our people. Finally, they are all already married, and will not be participating in the upcoming tournament."

Ranma winced in painful anticipation. He hoped Akane wasn't going to take this too badly, but resolved himself to allow her to take out her stress on him if she needed to.

"What tournament is that?" Genma asked carefully, expressing the puzzlement which all three felt. "And why would their marital status be relevant to it? Or to us?"

Lotion eyed Akane carefully, also wondering how she was going to take this. The elder had been impressed with what she had seen of the girl's skill during the battle. The ease with which she had taken out Meifen, who was considered one of the better warriors her age, spoke highly of her ability. Of the girls of that generation, the ones who would participate in the tournament, it was likely that only Shampoo and a handful or two of others were as capable. Of course, Shampoo was the clear favorite, and even Lotion acknowledged that she was almost certain to win. There was no question of her martial abilities, only her intellectual ones.

Lotion decided to take the approach of pointing out how much worse the situation could be. "I have thwarted Cologne's plans, temporarily. If I had not acted, they would already be preparing for a wedding between Ranma and Shampoo. Instead what we are preparing for is a tournament, to be held in a little over two weeks. Whoever wins is the one who will marry Ranma."

Akane gasped. Storm clouds rapidly gathered in the stare she turned on Ranma. He spoke quickly, desperately, responding to Lotion's statement but looking at the girl beside him. "I already told you, I ain't gonna marry any of 'em. The only girl I'm gonna marry is Akane."

Akane froze, her mouth open in mid yell. The threatened storm dissipated as quickly as it had arisen, leaving her mentally unbalanced. She had no experience, ho habit to fall back on, for dealing with a fiancé who would just come out and say something like that. Particularly in front of his father.

For his part, Genma simply stared at his son, speechless. He was certain that he couldn't have been more shocked if his wife had suddenly decided to retire her katana and promised to be submissive and dutiful to him all the rest of her days.

"You ... knew about this?" Akane eventually asked Ranma, quietly.

He shrugged. "Yeah, but so what? It wasn't like I was sticking around for it. I broke out and escaped. There ain't really been time to tell you about it since they caught us." Addressing himself to Lotion again, he repeated, "And there ain't nothing you can do to make me marry one of your girls, whether they win or not. I told you that."

"So you did," she replied scathingly. "And as _I_ told _you_, you need to learn to deal with what is possible, not dreams and make believe."

Lotion turned to Akane, forcing the girl's attention back to herself. "So you'll understand, young lady, why I have to insist that there be no more displays of affection between you and the young buck here. I promised that no harm would come to you, so long as you do nothing to invite such harm. I'm afraid that hugging or kissing a boy that over a hundred village girls are planning to fight over for the right to marry comes under the category of inviting harm."

"Hmmph!" Akane responded. "I'm not afraid of them."

The old woman's lips quirked. "Nevertheless. If you forget what I've just said than I or one of your guards will remind you. Painfully."

Akane looked down, muttering almost inaudibly, "I'll kiss him if I want to. I'll thrash any girl who tries to fight me over Ranma."

Lotion shook her head, allowing a little exasperation to leak into her voice. "Enough. Now what I ..." She broke off in mid-sentence, then stared up into the sky. The others watched her curiously, wondering what was up.

The elder lowered her gaze once more, fixing it on Akane. The young woman shifted uncomfortably as the stare grew more and more intense. A wicked grin slowly spread across Lotion's face. It spread to her eyes. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, yes. I'll do it. Take _that_ Cologne." Lotion noticed that now even the guards were staring at her openly.

Lotion waved a negligent hand. "Never mind me. Just a thought I had. I, um, I have to go. I need to ... well. Remember that I expect you to behave yourselves. _Don't_ let me down. Stay away from the boundaries of the village. Otherwise do as you like. I'll speak to you again later." She rose and departed rapidly, without looking back.

One of the guards stared after her retreating back. "What the hell is grandmother up to _this_ time?"

* * *

The various women filed into the room. Cologne was one of the last. Upon spying Lotion, she scowled and demanded, "What is this all about? Why did you ask us to meet again so soon?"

Lotion gave her a beatific smile. "There's an announcement that I have to make. Which I must make before the assembled council. Please come over here and look at this."

Cologne walked over warily, glancing at the open book in Lotion's hand. "The Joketsuzoku Sutra? I've seen it before, you know."

"Oh, I know," Lotion responded airily. "Please read here." She placed a finger on the page.

Frowning her displeasure, Cologne leaned forward and read. At first it made no sense. What relevance could it have? Then it struck her. Cologne looked up in a mixture of horror and rage, shaking her head. "No. Oh, no. You _can't_!"

"Of course I can," Lotion practically chortled. "I am completely within my rights." She turned to the other elders, who were watching them, puzzled. "I, Lotion, before the assembled Council of Elders of the Joketsuzoku, do hereby announce my sponsorship of one Akane Tendo to the title of honorary clan membership. Her status as such to be determined by her ability to attain victory in formal tournament over her peers in the tribe. We are conveniently holding such a tournament in just over two weeks."

One of the other elders sputtered, "But if she wins, _she_ would be the one to marry the Saotome boy."

Lotion affected a look of surprise, touching a finger to her chin. "Why yes, yes. That _is_ what the law would require, isn't it? If she were to win, she would have the unquestioned right, by our _law_, to be the one to marry Ranma Saotome."

Setting aside her humor, Lotion looked around at the stunned expressions firmly, defiantly. "As I am sponsoring her, I will naturally undertake to give her additional training immediately. Which, since she is already my responsibility, will I assure you be no additional burden at all."

She turned back to Cologne to see her rival's control had slipped so far that she was surrounded by a blazing battle aura. The room was so silent that one could actually hear the aura sizzle in the air. ‹Ah, yes,› Lotion thought to herself. ‹The old saying. If looks could kill. Well, they can't, my dear Cologne. And you have no choice but to swallow this.›

* * *

**Author's note:**

I know that things went a bit darkly for Mousse in this chapter, but sometimes everything is darkest before the dawn. In the next chapter, "Training," we get to see what Akane and Ranma think of Lotion's idea.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	6. Training

**Fighting Chance  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Cologne and Shampoo trick Ranma into following Akane to China, but Akane is fast on the trail. Will she be able to defeat overwhelming odds to save Ranma? Who will win her happy ending in the greatest catfight ever?

* * *

**Chapter 6. Training**

"But I don't _want_ to be Joketsuzoku," Akane was protesting.

"That's a very good thing," Lotion responded, frustrated with the trouble these teenagers were having understanding her plan and the cultural context in which it was based. "Because you won't be. It's an _honorary_ status. Think of it as a form of alliance. It's good enough to grant you a few rights and privileges. In particular, the right to marry this uncouth boy, if you can win the upcoming tournament."

Ranma scowled at this reference to himself. Akane was still looking bewildered, trying to cope with what she had been told.

"So if I win this tournament, I'll become an honorary Joketsuzoku, and at the same time everyone will agree that Ranma can marry me?" She sounded unsure of this conclusion.

"In essence, yes," Lotion confirmed. "Although it's more like Ranma _has to_ marry you rather than _can_ marry you. And I won't claim that everyone will be happy about it, but they'll have no choice. Our laws are clear, and we don't have a great deal of tolerance for disobedience. Everyone would be forced to accept it. Including Shampoo."

"Um, yeah, well, that's another thing," Akane said, shifting uncomfortably. "Not so long ago, Shampoo sort of ... well, gave me a beating." She focused her attention on Lotion, pretending that she didn't see the black look on Ranma's face. "I'd love to pay her back for that. In fact I had every intention of paying her back, eventually, except this China business came up. I expected to have a lot more time to train for it first. So, uh ..." She looked half embarrassed, half wistful over the question she was about to ask. "What do you honestly think of my chances? That I can be ready to defeat Shampoo in a formal fight just a couple of weeks from now?"

Lotion sighed, and gave Akane an intent look, determined to reveal nothing of her own inner doubts. While she intended to do everything she could to help Akane win, her hope was that the possibility of that victory, regardless of its probability, might restrain Ranma from attempting anything drastic.

"That is of course the tricky part of the plan," she told them, honestly enough. "Shampoo is very, very good. On the other hand, I observed you fighting our warriors before you were forced to surrender, and you are clearly quite skilled yourself. As matters stand right now, I'm confident that you could win against the majority of those who will be competing, so long as you take the fights seriously and don't get overconfident. I also believe you have untapped potential which, with hard work, would allow you to defeat most of the rest and give you a good chance against the top few. The question is, are you willing to work that hard? Can you put in the effort necessary to achieve this?"

Akane understood quite well what Lotion had left unsaid - that to improve her skills to that degree in so short a time was going to require a lot more than just "hard work." She was staring down the barrel at two weeks of pure hell. The young woman turned to give Ranma a considering look, reflecting on the decision she had made back in Japan, that she wanted him and was willing to fight for him, whatever it might take. Ranma cocked an eyebrow at her, curious as to what she was thinking. Akane finally inquired, "You really meant it when you said you wanted to marry me, right?"

Her fiancé licked his lips nervously before managing a smile. He ignored the old woman, focusing solely on Akane. He had already realized she wanted to do this, but he knew that to see it through Akane would need absolute confidence in where she stood with him.

So he took a deep breath and answered her. "Yep. I won't promise not to be skittish about it. I'll maybe even have to fight an urge or two to run and hide. But I meant it. I did a lot of thinking on the way here, and I ain't gonna risk letting you get away again. As soon as I get you back to Japan, we get together with Kasumi and Mom, _not_ our pops, and start making plans. I don't know much about weddings, but maybe we could have ours right after graduation?"

Akane nodded, returning his smile with a radiant one of her own. Then she turned back to Lotion, her expression serious once more. "I'll work as hard as I have to. Whatever it takes. And yes, I know what I'm promising. I'll prove once and for all that Ranma is mine." Her lips twisted. "And I'm his, too. But nobody seems to be asking me to prove that."

Although generally preferring to stay in the conversational background, Konatsu said, "I hope that you will allow me to help with Akane-sama's training."

The old woman frowned, turning an assessing eye on the effeminate ninja. "I expect to. Like Akane, you showed considerable skill during the battle. I'll want to take your measure right after I take hers, determine exactly where you both stand."

"I can already tell you that," Ranma put in. "I been training Akane, and I've fought with Konatsu before."

Lotion turned a suppressing scowl on the young man. "I will be in charge of her training now, and therefore I must see for myself." She turned to Akane. "Are you sure you want this male? He clearly does not know his place, is totally lacking in respect, and seems unacquainted with even ordinary courtesy."

Akane shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah, well, he has his good points. Give me a while, and I'll come up with a few."

Lotion snorted softly before continuing. "Returning to business ... your guards will be helping with the training as well; they're all highly skilled. I would have liked to have Mr. Trouble here and his father help also, but there's probably not much they can do with those weights on them. Where is your father anyway, boy?"

Ranma snorted. "Last I saw, my lazy pop was taking a nap. Conserving energy, he said. Though to be fair," he offered grudgingly, "none of us knew you were gonna be talking to us about training Akane to fight a bunch of your warriors in just a couple of weeks. He might just want to be involved in that. Even if he and I can't fight, we can give advice. After all, we both know a lot about the school Akane was trained in."

Lotion shrugged. "I have no problem with either of you hanging around if you want to. So long as you remember who's in charge."

Ranma nodded acquiescence while inwardly reflecting on the entire proposal. Would they be better off going through with this? Or planning some sort of escape? On the one hand they probably could escape, although it would be difficult with these weights, and they'd be sure to have a lot more Amazons than just Cologne and Shampoo after them this time. On the other hand , getting Akane to the point where she could beat Shampoo in two weeks was a chancy proposition at best, even _with_ his help. But what if they could do it? If Lotion was to be believed, neither Shampoo nor any other Amazon would trouble them again.

He knew he was being seduced by that possibility. Even so, it seemed like the best choice, and if it looked too impossible they could always escape later. Except, if Akane went through with this, he had to be sure they'd stick to their promise not to harm her, had to know she'd be safe.

So he fixed the elder with a cool gaze and asked, "How dangerous is this gonna be? For Akane? I ain't forgotten Shampoo's little saying, 'obstacle is for killing.' There must be an awful lot of resentment about Akane joining the contest. How do we keep someone from trying to change the odds before the day of the match?"

Lotion glared at him. "No Amazon would ever think of doing anything so dishonorable, boy. You obviously do not understand us at all. In this, she is not an obstacle to be removed, but rather a legally recognized participant. Believe me, there's no danger that anyone will molest her before the day of the tournament."

She paused for a moment. "As for resentment ... At this time, very few people outside of the elders know about Akane joining in the tournament. Of course, this will not last. I expect gossip is spreading the word even as we speak. Among the elders only a few, such as Cologne, resent what they see as an intrusion. The others, although initially shocked by my proposal, don't seem to think it will change the odds much. I'm afraid many of them are inclined to dismiss Akane's capabilities. I would guess that others will react similarly as the word spreads."

Lotion cocked her head, thinking, then said, "I believe that Akane will gain more support if she manages to make it to the later rounds of the tournament. Many of the council would already like to send all of you away, immediately. The others are trying to ignore the danger you represent out of hope that one of their descendants will win you. Once their heirs are knocked out of the running, I think they'll wake up and support anything that would get rid of you."

"Gosh it's nice to feel so welcome," Ranma replied sarcastically.

"It's the way things are," the old woman told him. "Would you rather we all wanted you to stay here forever?" Under the force of her sharp gaze, Ranma bowed his head and shook it in the negative.

"When do I start training?" Akane asked.

"Right now. Come with me. You two boys should come as well, if you're planning to help. Hurry up. We have much work to do, and far too little time in which to do it."

So saying, she stood and sprang through the air, moving away in long leaps touching the ground only with her staff. Akane ran after her, and Ranma shuffled along behind as quickly as he could.

* * *

Akane's training was proving almost more painful to Ranma than to the Japanese girl, herself. It was hard, harder than he'd imagined, watching the elder train Akane. Watching Akane work with the older guards and Konatsu. Every strike that got through and forced a grunt from her tore at his heart. It was worse than the pain he'd felt when he'd finally started training Akane seriously, for he could tell they weren't holding back as he had. Ranma knew from long experience just how much each of those blows hurt, how much agony the girl he loved was going through, how sore she was now and how much worse it would be later.

It got so bad, he just couldn't watch any longer. He had to get up and leave, to get away for a while from the sight of the torture. Ranma shuffled along the road slowly, paying no attention to where he was going or where he had been, doing his best to ignore the two guards shadowing his sluggish footsteps.

The worst of it was knowing that Akane was suffering so greatly because of him. Not just because she was training so hard in the hope of winning the tournament, but because she wouldn't have to pick up so much in so short a time if he had made up his mind to help her months earlier. Years earlier. He could have spread it out more. There would still have been pain, soreness, a great deal of it in truth, but it wouldn't all have had to come at once.

The boy squinted up at the afternoon sun to judge how long he'd been gone. Not long enough, he decided. He sighed, kicking a stone out of his path, wondering if he ought to head back regardless of his feelings.

For that matter, if he'd started training her sooner, if Akane had been better, then Shampoo might not have defeated her in that fight they'd had. The one she'd been reluctant to talk about, that led to her hiding out for a couple of days. That let them trick him into the wild goose chase which brought them all here.

Ranma sighed again. It was useless to think like that. If he had started working with Akane earlier, Shampoo might have discovered it just like she had apparently done this time. It might simply have caused the fight between them to have taken place much sooner. In any case, he couldn't change the past. They were all here now, for good or ill, and they'd have to do the best they could with what they had.

"Hello, airen!" Two arms wrapped around him from behind, hugging him tight.

Despite the massive weights pulling his limbs down, Ranma spun quickly within the circle of those arms. His hard elbow drove into the midriff of the girl behind him. Shampoo went flying, landing awkwardly, but managed to stay on her feet. She remained bent forward slightly, breathing with an effort.

"Ai-airen?"

"Don't call me that. Don't ever call me that again," he said, his voice hard. "My name is Ranma. Use it."

The Chinese girl straightened. "You are Shampoo's airen. Nothing change that. Contest only make wedding wait little longer."

Ranma walked up to her, stared into her face. He switched to Chinese, speaking slowly, quietly, emotionlessly. "I never loved you Shampoo. There was time I thought you cute. I was stupid, liked the attention. I thought maybe it possible to be friends. I was wrong. You attacked the girl I love. You and the old ghoul pretend to kidnap her, let me think you going to brainwash her. You made me think you going to have men rape her. All to capture me. Because of stupid law that says I supposed to marry you, no matter what _I_ want."

Shampoo had started scowling at the phrase "girl I love." She ended up pouting. She responded in Chinese, since he had chosen to speak to her in that language.

"The kit-, Akane, is not worthy of you. You cannot defy the law of the Joketsuzoku. You will marry _me_, beloved, and you will learn to love me. And in time you will forget there was any other."

"Never." Ranma thought it would be more dramatic to leave his answer at the one word, but felt compelled to add, "Stay away, Shampoo. I mean it. Way I feel, I might not stop myself from hurt you."

Ranma turned and walked away. Shampoo was about to follow him when a voice called her name. Turning back around she saw her aunt waving at her. "Grandmother Cologne says your break is over. You're to come back right away!"

Shampoo turned and cast one last look in the direction Ranma had gone. She muttered under her breath, "You _will_ marry me! You _will_ love me! You belong to _me_!" Then she walked the other way, meeting up and leaving with the older woman.

Ranma, fuming, had turned his own feet back toward Akane. ‹That's enough thinking about me! No more walking off just 'cause I can't take it. Akane needs me there. For my support. For any help I can give with her training. She is, so help me God, going to win this thing. No matter _what_ it takes!›

* * *

Akane lay face down on a hard table while one of her keepers pummeled her without mercy. She way trying to hold still and not show how much it hurt, but a small whimper escaped her when a particularly sore spot was attacked.

The middle-aged woman, Lotion's niece Jade, paused immediately to ask, "Want me to stop?"

"No, please," Akane answered quickly. "Please keep going. Sorry I couldn't keep quiet."

With a sympathetic nod the muscular Chinese woman returned to work on loosening the teenager's sore muscles. They were in Jade's home, as a member of the family sponsoring Akane, since she would not be permitted to stay in the guest house where the tournament's prize had been lodged. It had the added benefit of giving the Japanese group less time to conspire together.

One thing that Akane especially appreciated was the additional benefits she would apparently enjoy as Jade's guest. If she were at the spartan guest house with the others, there would be no sauna and possibly no massage. Most likely, Genma would just growl at her to suck it up. The Joketsuzoku attitude toward training might be murderously rigorous, but at least she was also granted some civilized comforts.

Akane suppressed another whimper as the massage continued. Jade was frowning over her task, trying to avoid pressing on the more serious bruises. This was made difficult by the fact that there were very few patches of skin which weren't covered by multicolored bruises.

"Aunt Lotion certainly seems to be pretty serious about your training," Jade remarked. "Not even my Loofah had such bruises when she was training the year Shampoo won the village championship."

Akane winced at the memory of just how serious the elder had been, while Jade rubbed some ointment into the most spectacular bruises. Akane had those courtesy of Ranma, the baka. He had wandered off for a while during her training, and the look on his face before he left had told her he was having trouble watching the battering she was taking. But then when he returned he had observed the remainder of the training with a critical eye, offering suggestions now and again. Most of the time Lotion had just grunted or given a small nod, but she responded to one suggestion with a hearty "good idea." Naturally that idea had resulted in the most painful consequences of the day.

"Yes, she is pretty serious," Akane admitted. "But that's how I want it. I'm willing to pay the price, if it means I can beat Shampoo and win Ranma back."

The woman shook her head slightly. "Got a long, uphill climb for that. Shampoo is pretty damn good. Better than I was at that age, and I like to think of myself as one of the best. Mind, you're pretty good yourself from what I saw today. You might've given me a fight back when I was eighteen. But you got a ways to go before you can take on Shampoo with any real chance to win."

"I can do it," Akane replied with determination. "I, _ouch_, I _will_ do it."

"Sorry about that," Jade said as she worked her way up a thigh.

"Um," Akane started nervously, then hesitated. At an inquiring noise from the woman, she went on, "I, uh, don't mean to insult anyone. And I know Lotion said she wouldn't. But are you _sure_ Shampoo won't try to force her way in here to start a fight?"

Jade's eyes widened. "What? With me and my niece Coral in here? She wouldn't dare!" The woman gave a soft laugh. "You know how good the elders like Cologne and Lotion are, right?" Akane nodded. "Well, picture me as somewhere halfway between Shampoo and them. Coral herself is almost as good as Shampoo, and I'm confident I could handle her by myself if necessary. Shampoo is the village champion for her _generation_. She's a long, long way from being the best in the village. That would most likely be Cologne herself."

"Oh," Akane said blankly. She turned her head to the side to look back over her shoulder, and eyed the woman massaging her with new interest. "I guess I hadn't thought it through. That does put a different perspective on things." She moaned as a knot on her back was loosened.

"Of course, I'm rooting for you," Jade added after a couple minutes of silence had passed. "The men who marry into our people through that law generally want to. They've usually met one of our girls one way or another, and the two have gotten to like each other a bit and then he challenges her. Of course, it's a point of pride not to _let_ him win, but then one of our girls wouldn't fall for an outsider in the first place if he wasn't a damn good fighter."

She shook her head. "This business with Ranma, now. It's not unknown for a man to end up stuck with marrying one of us when he doesn't really want to. But the elders are usually sensible about it. There are several loopholes for getting out of it if it looks like it's going to be more trouble than it's worth. That's why I'm so surprised some of them are so set on forcing Ranma into the marriage. I don't believe I've ever seen a boy who was more likely to be a source of trouble."

"He does take some getting used to," Akane admitted with a smile.

"So why haven't you tripped that boy up and bedded him already?" Jade asked curiously.

Akane flushed beet red. "That ... that wouldn't be proper."

"Proper? Who the hell gives a damn?" She pursed her lips and gave the teenager a scathing look. "You people. Like to think you're from more 'civilized' parts of the world. Too damned _civilized_ for your own good! Don't try to tell me you don't want him! Whenever he's around it's as obvious as the nose on your face. And it's just as obvious he wants the same. You ought to've enjoyed yourselves while you had the chance."

Akane couldn't understand why her hair wasn't catching fire, her face felt so hot.

"I, I, just _couldn't_! I'd never be able to look my sister in the eye again!"

"Your sister ain't here," the woman remarked sagely. "Mind, it's too late now. Lotion would blow her top if I let you sneak him in here. All the other girls would be right upset if we let you get away with something like that."

"All we've done so far is kiss!" Akane protested. "I'd like to do that a bit more before we, well, you know."

"_You know_?" Jade laughed. "Good lord, girl, is that the best word you can come up with for it? Surely a high school girl from Japan knows a few better euphemisms for it than _that_." She chuckled some more. "As for doing some more kissing, well, sure. Kissing is nice. There are times I like to cuddle with my husband and kiss him. But having a man between your legs can be lots of fun, too."

Akane had passed through embarrassment and out into some weird mental state beyond. "Really? Some of the girls at school have done it. They said it hurt. They said that it was over with in a few minutes, and after it was done all they could think was 'is that it?' TV and books make it sound like everyone does it all the time, but it doesn't sound like it's that much fun."

Jade straightened up from her task, shaking her head mournfully. "Dear ancestors, but you're in need of an education. Come on, sit up and slip into your pajamas. All I can say is, I don't think much of the boys at your school. Or else the girls you know haven't got a lick of sense. You gotta tell a man what you want, he can't read your mind."

She paused thoughtfully. "Of course, if those boys are anything like your Ranma ... I'll admit, he does seem pretty clueless when it comes to girls." Her lips curved up into a smile. "You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna have my husband take Ranma aside and give him a nice, long talk. Now there's a man who knows how to make a woman scream!" Her smile broadened at some memory. "And in the meantime I think you and I will talk a bit more about how it oughta be, how to get the most out of a man. Who knows? If you do manage to win, and the two of you end up getting married, you both might thank us for it."

By this point, Akane was absolutely speechless. Jade kept her word and launched into a long discourse on the subject then and there. As the woman went on at length, one circuit breaker after another popped in Akane's brain, and she just sat there, unable to do anything to staunch the flood of information washing over her.

* * *

It was early morning in the Amazon village, and Meifen straightened from the pack whose contents she had just rearranged to stretch stiffly, gazing around her. The dawn air was chill, and the wind whistling through the valley only made it worse. The young woman suppressed a shiver as she looked up at the sunlight just brushing the mountaintops, thinking how much colder it would be tomorrow morning when she woke far and away along the trail through those mountains.

Oh, how she wished she could crawl back between her warm covers and sleep for another couple of hours! But if she could, she would eventually awaken, and then she'd have to face Shampoo without the excuse of preparing for this trip to avoid the meeting.

After a brief yawn Meifen returned her attention to re-checking the supplies for the upcoming journey, glancing briefly at the other two girls who were doing the same. She told herself that she was glad to have this opportunity to go on a long trip. The young warrior had decided that she had no desire to participate in the chance to "win" Ranma as a husband. The feel of his arm around her neck, even after days of deprivation, was still vivid. Neither did she care for the thought of gaining Shampoo as a potential enemy. Shampoo's current irritation with her was bad enough.

The girls working beside her felt the same way, Meifen knew, for they had discussed it at length during the initial preparations yesterday. When she was informed that she had been selected as a member of the honor guard for the envoy being sent to the Musk, Meifen had only felt relief, despite her suspicion of Shampoo's hand in the selection. While she had as much desire as any other young girl of the village for a strong husband, she could not help but feel that Ranma was less than an ideal choice. On the whole, she reflected, she would rather not have a husband who would probably hate her. Not to mention one who would bring the displeasure of someone as strong as Shampoo. No, being somewhere other than the village on the day of the tournament sounded like a fine idea.

In the depths of her subconscious, the young woman frowned over Shampoo's temper and underhanded tactics. Meifen tried to avoid thinking about the fact that the girl Cologne was grooming to be a leader of their people, one day, was the same girl who seemed unable to restrain her impulsive and petty behavior. The thought made her uncomfortable about the future.

So she kept her mind focused on the current task. The three girls had been kept busy all yesterday afternoon and evening with the preparations, barely taking time for dinner, which they had together. There was supposed to be a fourth person as well, but Meifen hadn't heard who yet, although she _was_ very annoyed that the missing girl hadn't been around to help. Whoever it was had better hurry up, because they'd be leaving as soon as the envoy arrived.

It promised to be a fairly boring march, interrupted by a lengthy stopover in the Musk village. Not something to which to look forward given the Musk's weird ideas regarding females. Still, it was important, and it would get her away long enough for Shampoo to win her husband and cool off some.

A young man in flowing white robes walked up at this point, carrying a huge pack filled with supplies, and stopped beside the small group. All three girls started in recognition upon seeing Mousse. From his presence they could deduce that he was to be the other member of their party, and after a moment's thought Meifen nodded, telling herself that she shouldn't be surprised. She had already heard that Shampoo had gone to the extreme of shunning him. Someone had obviously decided that getting him out of town for a time would be best all around, and she felt most of her annoyance vanish that he hadn't been around to lend a hand yesterday.

In fact, the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Everyone in the village knew how he had trailed around at Shampoo's heels since they were children. Since Shampoo was by far the most likely person to win the tournament, thus guaranteeing her right to wed Ranma, it would be far less painful for Mousse if he wasn't present that day. Not to mention removing the temptation for him to do something abysmally stupid.

In a way it was rather sad how he threw himself so futilely at Shampoo. When she had seen him fight on the day they had recaptured Ranma, Meifen had been quite impressed. He had been a fairly good fighter even before he left their village to pursue Shampoo, but it was clear that he had improved greatly while he was away. Maybe there really were some techniques worth learning out beyond the borders of their village.

Meifen flushed with embarrassment as this recalled to mind how she had lost to the foreign girl, Akane, in that battle. It was a humiliating memory. If Lotion hadn't granted the girl immunity from the Kiss of Death ... but she had, so it was pointless to think about that. Besides, in a way she could grudgingly respect how Akane had come all the way from Japan and across China to try to reclaim Ranma. It was something that a Joketsuzoku might do. Instead, the foreign girl was now fated to sit by and watch while some other girl claimed him. Meifen wondered idly why Lotion and the other elders didn't simply send Akane away again, but it was hardly her place to question their decisions.

The leader of their little expedition finally emerged and joined them. Meifen, Mousse and the others picked up their packs, preparing to set off. With one last wistful look at her village and the challenge log, they set off on the path leading them further up into the mountains.

* * *

Genma accompanied Ranma and Konatsu to Akane's next training session, insisting they needed his oversight to make sure the job was done right. Konatsu participated actively in the training, as he had done during the late-starting session the previous day. Indeed, Lotion had been eager to enlist him to the cause once she had an opportunity to make a complete assessment of the young ninja's skills.

Primarily limited to advisory roles, Genma and Ranma each made numerous suggestions, both with regard to the current exercises and for later training. Some of Genma's ideas were rejected outright, while Lotion and Ranma discussed others and eventually decided to use them, albeit with modifications. Genma was indignant and inclined to pout that Lotion regarded Ranma as very nearly a partner while he himself was clearly relegated to subordinate status, but the thought that Ranma might actually marry Akane if she won the upcoming event helped to keep him focused. His greatest contribution was to castigate his son whenever Ranma showed an inclination to go too easy on the girl.

Luckily, Akane was kept far too busy fighting opponents and performing various impossible tasks to worry over some of the things they were planning for her. Except on one occasion.

It was during one of the brief breaks Akane was being allowed to take to catch her third or fourth wind before continuing. She was stretched out on the ground and panting with exhaustion when Genma spoke up and mused, "You know, it might be worth teaching her that Breaking Point technique. It certainly made it hard for Ranma to defeat the Hibiki boy."

Akane turned horrified eyes on the older man. After all, she had witnessed Ryoga's training in the technique. The thought of being pummeled with boulders for two or three days did, she had to admit, concern her. It concerned her greatly. She felt her throat clench tight with anxiety so that she struggled to get the words out to express her horror.

This enabled Lotion to express her opinion first. "You know, that's not a bad thought. Not a bad thought at all. She could certainly use some toughening up." The old woman turned and eyed Akane critically. "She might even be able to learn it, but that's beside the point. It's the training that's important, not the result."

Ranma, sitting beside Akane and seeing the look on her face, reached over and grasped her hand. He whispered softly, "You can do it. Pop's right about this one. If you're gonna go through with fighting all those girls, then this is a good idea. I'll be with you the whole time." Akane squeezed his hand back in gratitude, still unable to speak.

An elderly voice rasped out nearby. "I would suggest that you release my son-in-law's hand before somebody else sees you."

Everyone turned to see Cologne walking closer. Lotion wondered how much her rival had overheard, not that it mattered very much. She was well aware that Cologne was training Shampoo vigorously as well. Feigning disinterest, she asked, "To what do we owe the, ahem, _honor_ of this visit?"

Cologne smiled a tight little smile. "Several things. For one, I wanted to make sure that you really were training Akane Tendo seriously. I wouldn't want her to embarrass us all on the day of the tournament. Not that I think she'll advance very far." She grinned a little wider on seeing Akane seethe in response to this. The others kept their faces impassive.

She went on. "I also wanted to check on the weights you've put on the Saotome men. Not that I think you would have made any mistakes, but I've underestimated the boy a time or two. I figured it couldn't hurt to double check, now that he's had them on for almost a day."

Lotion pursed her lips but nodded, refusing to rise to the bait, if bait it was. It was possible that Cologne was merely being sincere. In any event, the other elder quickly inspected the weights and murmured her satisfaction.

Cologne settled herself back, and regarded Lotion almost fondly. "I've got to give you credit. Thanks to you I've had far more trouble than I expected when I lured the boy here. Once we got him locked in the cell the first time, I figured I'd soon be settling down to a boring life again. At least, after we, ah, 'tamed' him. I should've known better where my son-in-law is concerned." She gave a heavy sigh before adding, "I never imagined you'd have almost half the council on your side over sending him away."

Lotion's mouth twisted. "Unfortunately, 'almost' isn't good enough."

Cologne shrugged. "True. Which is a good thing from my point of view. You also certainly took me aback with your little trick concerning the Tendo girl here. I admit that I was pretty upset at first. On consideration, I've decided not to let it bother me. It's not as if I think she has much of a chance. I am a little worried for her, though. Believe it or not, I've never really held any ill will for her."

Ranma spoke up before the girl beside him could say anything impertinent in response to this. "Akane's gonna be all right. And I think she's gonna get farther in the matches than you believe. What I wanna know is, if she does win, would you agree that she gets to marry me? That we can leave in peace? Would you really give up?"

Cologne looked him directly in the eye. "The answer to that, boy, is yes. I would be very disappointed, and probably very angry. But I am Joketsuzoku, and I would not betray my people or our laws. Just like Lotion here. If the law is against me, then I will accept that, however unhappy I may be about it."

She shrugged again before adding, "On the other hand, I honestly don't think it's at all likely." She looked directly at Akane. "I know that you're a fairly good martial artist, whatever my great-granddaughter may have said in the past. But realistically, Shampoo is your superior. You would have to be very lucky indeed to prevail that day, assuming you even manage to get so far."

Cologne chuckled, picturing such a fight. "Besides, Shampoo has been on the challenge log before. You never have. It will be unfamiliar ground for you, as it were. Have you been told the rules yet?"

At a shake of the girl's head, the old woman explained. "It's very simple, really. The two contestants stand on the log and are told to begin. Either one may yield at any time. Aside from that, the first one to touch the ground loses. Contestants may not use bows, firearms or other projectile weapons. That's the entirety of the rules." She smiled reminiscently. "I remember one time when there was a very long match, and the crowd drew in tighter and tighter. Then both girls fell off the log at the same time. They both landed on people's heads. Since neither had touched the ground the match wasn't over. They continued to fight, jumping around on the heads and shoulders of various spectators. To loud complaints, I might add."

"How did it end?" Ranma asked curiously.

Cologne gave a shark's grin. "One of them was foolish enough to jump onto _my_ head. As you might expect, she struck the ground an instant later, extremely hard. She finally woke up after three days to learn that she had lost the match."

Lotion cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention back to her. "You must be happy to have occasion to tell that story to people who have never heard it before." Turning to Ranma she gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes and said, "Wait until you hear her tell it for the twentieth time."

Returning her gaze to Cologne's frown, Lotion added, "I was of course going to tell Akane what the matches were like, eventually. But as you point out, there really isn't much to tell. I probably would have waited until I had her up on the log for some training, but it doesn't really matter. Was there anything else?"

Cologne gave the tiniest of snorts before pulling out three envelopes. She held them in Konatsu's direction. "I was asked to deliver some invitations by some of our young maidens. Requests that the other boy here consider challenging them. Ah, young love." As Konatsu nervously took the letters, she grinned wickedly. "I promised that I'd deliver the notes, then assigned them to extra sentry duty for expecting an elder to serve as a messenger for their love letters."

Lotion was unsuccessful at suppressing her own grin for the unsettled young man, who was holding the envelopes as if they might bite him. However, she chose not to tease him on the subject, saying instead, "I believe that my young charge has had more than long enough to rest. If that's all ...?"

"I'm done," Cologne chirped. "Be seeing you around." She turned and was soon out of sight.

"Do you think she was spying on us?" Ranma asked.

Lotion shrugged. "Maybe, but there's not really much point. It's not like I'm trying to teach Akane any secret techniques. Cologne no doubt already has a pretty good idea of what we're doing. She may have overheard us talking about the Breaking Point, but again that's of little matter. Once we begin training Akane in that technique, we won't be able to keep it secret. It will be fairly obvious to everyone in the area."

She strode forward, swinging her staff, forcing everyone to jump to their feet to dodge it. "Enough chit chat, back to work. Konatsu, put those letters away for now, you can read them later. I want to put that ninja stealth of yours to use. Jade, put a blindfold on Akane. We're going to teach her to sense her opponent's attacks without using her eyes."

"This is going to be painful, isn't it?" Akane asked as the cloth covered her eyes. The only answer she received was an evil chuckle.

* * *

Cologne returned to where she had left Shampoo, standing in the middle of a circle of eight men and women. Each of them was holding a long pole, and they were trying to trip Shampoo as she jumped around dodging the attempts. To make it more difficult, she was required to step only on the small, flat stones which had been set into the ground around her.

"Okay, everyone, take five!" the elder called out cheerfully. The poles were withdrawn and everyone relaxed, sitting themselves on the ground.

Shampoo strolled over, faintly flushed but in good spirits. "Great-grandmother! Did you see what kind of training Elder Lotion is giving to Akane?"

Cologne raised an eyebrow. "My goal wasn't to see what kind of training they were doing. Not exactly, anyway. It was more to get an idea of how seriously they're going about it, who else she's using to help with the training, and how fit the Tendo girl looks now that they're well into it. The answers to which are that they're very serious, that Lotion has her sparring with some extremely skilled people, and that the girl seems to be very fit indeed."

Shampoo frowned. "Are you saying that you think she has a chance?"

The old woman's eyebrows lowered. "There's always a chance. Especially if _you_ get overconfident. I'll remind you that she got some pretty good hits on you in that stupid fight back in Japan."

Shampoo's face flushed and she lowered her eyes.

"I'm serious about this, Shampoo," the woman went on. "Don't take Akane Tendo too lightly. She is skilled, and she is not stupid. You are better, but there are no absolute guarantees. You must give your total effort to every fight, whether it's with Akane or anyone else."

"I'll remember. I promise." The girl frowned to show that she was paying attention. "When the time comes, I will fight her seriously. I won't take any chance of losing my airen. So I won't do anything silly to make her look foolish. I'll just fight her quick and hard and get it over with." She paused and thought for a moment. "Assuming I ever fight her, that is. There will be a lot of other people fighting. One of them might beat her instead."

Cologne said coolly, "Don't count on that. It's possible, yes. But in my estimate, after this bout of advanced training, there will be only a handful of our girls, of your age, who might be able to defeat Akane. Well, unless she does something stupid herself. Further, some of those girls have opted not to join the contest. All of which means there's a good chance that you _will_ face her. If that happens, you must not lose."

"I won't," Shampoo said, her voice deathly serious.

"Now there is one thing I overheard," Cologne went on in a different tone of voice, "that we might as well act on now. Rather than waiting a couple of days when we would have found out anyway. It's time to give you the Breaking Point training."

Shampoo's face paled. "Are y-you sure?" she asked quietly, not daring to defy the old woman.

Cologne smirked, knowing full well what was going through the girl's head. "Yes. Lotion is already planning to give Akane the training. Which means that if you do face her, she's going to be a lot tougher than she is now. I won't have you at any disadvantage. So grit your teeth girl. You've put off learning it long enough."

Shampoo sighed, firmly stamping on the traitorous voice in her head which tried to ask just how badly she really did want to win. When she nodded her head in submission, Cologne ordered everyone back to their places to continue the current exercise.

* * *

Night had fallen and the three Japanese men were resting in the guest house, along with four of the guards, when a knock came at the door. Both Ranma and Konatsu rose to their feet, but Ranma waved the other boy back to his chair, saying, "I'll get it." He wondered briefly who it might be. Probably not Akane, who had been there earlier to eat with them but had left half an hour ago.

As he neared the door, Ranma gave a grin on spying a set of letters in the wastebasket. During supper Konatsu had been talked into reading the letters the girls had sent to him, only to discover on opening them that each one was written in Chinese. The young ninja had turned down Ranma's offer to read them to him, as well as Akane's suggestion to have one of the guards do so, tucking them back away instead. At some later point he must have decided to dispose of them.

Another knock came just as he was reaching the door. "I'm coming. Just a second." Ranma opened the door to find Shampoo standing there, smiling up at him prettily.

"May Shampoo come in, airen?" she asked sweetly.

Ranma stepped outside, closing the door behind him. "No," he replied coldly.

A brief storm flashed across Shampoo's face then disappeared again. A calculating, bright look came into her eyes.

"Shampoo hear you let other contestant in earlier. Not fair let her in and not Shampoo."

Ranma frowned. "If you're referring to the fact that Akane ate dinner with us, yes she did. She'll have dinner with me anytime she wants to, which'll probably be most days. I've already told you, I don't care about your damn laws, or your damn tournament, or any other damn thing. Akane is my fiancée. You're not. I'll eat with her, talk to her, watch her train, help her train if I can, and anything else I like."

"It not fair," Shampoo said. "Other girls also not like."

The boy in front of her crossed his arms. "I don't particularly care what they like or don't like, either. At Lotion's request I'm not kissing Akane or anything. But I'll talk to her all I want, and if anyone doesn't like it that's just too bad."

She tried giving him a sad puppy dog look. "But Shampoo bring news."

Ranma shrugged. "So tell me."

"Shampoo and airen go inside and sit down. Much more comfortable."

Ranma was unmoved by this request. "I already said no. If you don't want to tell me out here, fine. Good-bye." He started to turn away.

The puppy dog face vanished, falling into a frown. "You most stubborn ..." Shampoo stopped, getting control of herself. She tried smiling again. "Wanted to let you know Perfume get better. Not paralyzed."

Ranma stared at her blankly. "Uh, who? What? Paralyzed?"

Shampoo's eyebrows lifted. "You not know? Perfume elder, hurt by wind during fight. Very bad. Doctor think might not walk again. But not so. She get better, move legs now. Walk soon."

Ranma swallowed heavily, wondering why Lotion hadn't mentioned this before. Not that he would have done anything differently, given what he had thought was happening when he started that attack. Still ...

"Uh, thanks Shampoo. That's good to know."

"Of course, airen. We talk again tomorrow." She turned to skip happily away.

"Shampoo!" The girl turned back at the sound of her airen's voice. He was scowling. "No. We won't talk tomorrow. Don't come back. I mean this. If you knock on the door, I won't answer it. If you speak to me in the street, I won't speak back. I'll leave it up to you to decide if you want to risk other people seeing something like that."

Shampoo's face grew thunderous. Teeth grinding, she turned and stomped off down the road. Ranma watched her until she turned a corner, wondering what he could have done in the past to avoid arriving at this present. Aside, perhaps, from being an idiot. With a sigh of regret he turned around and went back inside.

* * *

Breaking Point training began at the crack of dawn the next morning. Akane walked with a couple of her guards out to the selected training ground, arriving there before Lotion. She looked around at the ropes hanging from the trees and the boulders littering the ground, and gave a heavy sigh. The young woman knew all too well what was coming, from having watched ... she stopped and angrily willed her mind away from that scene.

Even now she felt hurt and anger whenever she remembered that boy. The one who had betrayed her. It hurt even to say his name to herself. ‹Dammit! You can't go on like this,› she told herself. ‹It's a weakness. I can just picture it. I'm up on the challenge log, Shampoo says his name, and I get so furious that all she has to do is lean to the side and trip me to dump me on the ground.› She took a breath. ‹Hibiki! Hibiki, dammit. Ryoga Hibiki. Ryoga the pig. There, that's not so hard, is it?›

As these thoughts were passing through her head, Akane observed Ranma approaching. When he caught sight of her in turn, his face immediately turned a bright red and he lowered his eyes. Curiosity aroused, Akane walked over to join him, eyebrows rising as his face turned, if possible, even more red.

"Hi, what's up?" she asked, trying to keep it simple. Frankly it looked like he might bolt and run at any moment, the chi weights not withstanding.

"N-n-nothing," he replied in a whisper.

Akane gave him a scornful look. "Nothing, huh? Is that why I can feel the heat from your face over here? Come on, spill. As many embarrassing things as we've been through together, what's one more? Or are you afraid I'm going to get angry about it, whatever it is?"

"It's, uh, no, I don't know, maybe," was his intelligent response.

Akane sighed, then sat on the ground. She patted the dirt beside her. With seeming reluctance, Ranma joined her. He kept shooting little glances in her direction, rapidly turning away again each time, and his face was still glowing.

"Look, we're going to get married, right?" Akane began. Ranma slowly nodded. "Then don't you think we need to learn to talk to each other? If you can't tell me what's bothering you, you really shouldn't have come. You know what I'm going to be going through. I don't want to be worrying over what's bothering you at the same time."

Ranma grimaced, admitting to himself that she had a point. The trouble was, he had thought he could ignore it until he had arrived and seen her. At that moment his mind had started filling with images that he was helpless to banish. Gritting his teeth, he decided to face up to this and at least give a hint of the problem.

"Y'see, it's like this. Last night this old man showed up and started talking to me. Well, not really old, I guess, but older than pop. Said he was Jade's husband. What he wanted ..."

Akane interrupted, her own face starting to burn. "I think you can stop there. Jade told me she was going to ask him to talk to you. She gave me the same t-talk. Well, not the same, I don't suppose. Sorta like the same. From the woman's side. I mean ... I think I'm going to stop babbling now." She shut her mouth firmly.

For some strange reason, the fact that Akane had suffered through something similar, and her own nervousness, made Ranma a little bolder. "It's not like I didn't know about those things." He said to her slowly. "Okay, maybe there _were_ one or two things I'd never heard of before. Or five or six. But most of it, well, guys talk, you know? Not that I ever did. I think the other guys do to try to impress each other. They always sounded like idiots to me, though."

Akane giggled, and Ranma began to think that maybe he wouldn't get punched for talking about this. He raised one hand palm up. "I'm not sure if I can explain. Whenever they talked about it in the locker room, or places, they made it sound nasty. Or something you did because guys are supposed to like it so much. They talked about the girls like they were ... pieces of equipment or something. It's just ..." He trailed off, frustrated, not sure how to say what he wanted.

"I think I know what you mean," Akane offered. "Girls talk about it too. Not exactly the same way, though. Well, maybe sometimes."

Ranma prayed he wasn't about to get hit, but went on determinedly. "It's not like I don't got ... what are those things? We talked about 'em in biology. Hormones! Yeah. It's not like I don't got those. I can't help thinking about it sometimes. But, it always sounded ..."

The young man had both hands slightly raised, hovering above his lap. He closed them into fists as words failed him once more. So he plowed on. "Then that guy last night. He talked about the same sort of stuff, but completely different. He made it ... good. Not just something that's about ... pleasure. The guy's pleasure. But about two people ... wanting each other so much that they ... have fun together. The jerks at school never acted like it was about both people."

Ranma sighed. "Anyway. I thought I had it under control. But then I saw you and it all came back. 'Cause, you know, we are planning to get married, and ..." He broke off, figuring she'd understand what he was saying.

Which she did, all too well. "Um, yeah. I understand. Believe me. After I had that little talk with Jade, I must have laid awake half the night. I mean, I knew that when we get married, we'll ... um, yeah. I'd even thought about it some, now and then. But never in so much ... detail."

Ranma snorted. "Details. Yeah. That's what got me. All of those, um, techniques and, er, positions he insisted on telling me about last night. Then I saw you and I couldn't help thinking about 'em all over again."

That did earn him a punch, but not a very hard one. He only did one somersault before landing on his feet. Akane gave him a stern frown, but when he arched one eyebrow very high, she had to turn away quickly to keep him from seeing her break into a smile. Then she gave a loud yelp when something rapped her on the top of her head.

"Quit flirting with your boyfriend," Lotion told Akane scathingly. "We have work to do."

Rubbing her head and doing her best to ignore Ranma's smirk, Akane climbed to her feet.

* * *

Somewhere in the mountains, a small group of people were sitting on their packs around a smoldering fire, on which sat a pot of tea. They were finishing up the lunch Mousse had served to them, while speculating on the training their friends were going through back in the village. Mousse was unable to distinguish between the three young warriors as he had been too miserable to wear his glasses, and after being away so long he could no longer recognize them by their voices. Nor had he made an effort to reassociate their voices to their names.

However, his attention was wrested back to the present when one of them changed the subject, saying confidently, "We should be in Musk territory in an hour. It's hard to believe the stories of how they keep their men and women apart. I guess that any of the men we meet will be scared to death of us."

From where he sat at the end of the line, Mousse dropped a single word on this thought like a stone weight. "No."

The young women turned to regard him curiously while the older woman continued to eat. Meifen asked, "How do you know?"

Mousse considered the question for a time, and then said heavily, "I have met some of them."

The girls were now staring at him. Meifen felt her eyebrows creeping upward. She had not heard this tale. "How did _that_ come to pass? And if so what are they truly like? In your experience."

Mousse regarded the half-eaten fruit in his hand and then threw it away, off the side of the trail. It was as tasteless as everything else had been. He was in no mood for conversation, but part of him insisted on trying to correct their misconceptions. He carefully weighed each word that he spoke.

"A small group of them came to Japan, seeking something. Just over a year ago. Regarding women, they were as children with a new toy. Fascinated. And dangerous. Very dangerous. They wished to know more, and could not think of a female as human. Or so it seemed."

"You expect them to mistreat us?" Meifen asked.

Mousse stared at the sky before he finally answered. "No. Not by intention. Probably not. But they are impulsive. Rash even. They do not weigh consequences as we do."

"I hardly think we need fear their bumbling," the one who had spoken first now said. "Remember that we are warriors of the Joketsuzoku!"

Mousse scowled at her blackly. "I have fought them. You have not."

"And because you lost, you think we would lose?" the girl said haughtily.

Meifen did not feel inclined to share this opinion. She had watched Mousse fight, and could admit that he was skilled. Very skilled.

At the same time these thoughts occurred to her, the woman leading them spoke sharply. "Lipstick! Enough! I also have met the men of the Musk. You would be wise to heed this boy's words." She gathered her things, kicking dirt over the small fire. "You have all clearly rested enough if you can argue so. Come, let us be on our way."

As Meifen lifted her pack she heard Mousse speak again, but so quietly that it was more than possible he did not intend anyone to hear. The short, defiant sentence which reached her ears was, "I did _not_ lose."

* * *

Lotion had decreed a short break, during which Akane could be untied and lowered to the ground. She lay there unmoving, too miserable to worry about dignity, letting out one long, continuous moan. Konatsu and Genma had both wandered off a long time ago, there being little for them to do during this exercise. Ranma was standing over in the training area, heavily weighted hands clasped behind his back, staring up at a boulder hanging above him. There were holes poked into the boulder, and he could just make out that they formed the kanji characters for "ran" and "ma."

The young man wandered back over slowly and sat down beside Akane, ignoring her moaning. He glanced over at Lotion and gave a jerk of his head in Akane's direction. "Seems to me that she's already toughening up a bit, but you're the expert. Whaddya think?"

Lotion glanced at Akane as well, and gave a grim smile. "Yes, she is. Has a ways to go though. I figure another day and a half, two days."

Akane gave a much, much louder moan.

Lotion added, "In case you're interested, Shampoo is going through the breaking point training as well. I got a report a little while ago. When observed, she was moaning just as piteously as this little filly, if not more."

Ranma snorted at the image. "So you got more than one of these training grounds?"

Lotion shrugged. "Look around you. All one needs are trees and boulders. And some rope. We're in the mountains. What do you think?"

The boy nodded. He gave the moaning girl beside him a fond look and then, rather daringly, reached over and ran a hand through her hair. The next moan was slightly different in tone.

"Stop that," Lotion said, though without any force behind it.

Ranma ignored her, continuing to stroke his hand slowly through the silken strands. Akane's moans softened in response to his touch. Instead of looking down at his fiancée, however, Ranma was looking out beyond the village at some mountain peaks off in the distance. He vented a long sigh.

"Something wrong, youngster?" Lotion asked.

Ranma turned to her with a sad smile. "Just that it's hard to think of the cure to my curse being so close. While I'm stuck here."

Lotion blinked at him, staring. After several seconds, she asked, "Are you speaking of the Nanniichuan? The 'spring of drowned man,' as you'd say it?"

Ranma nodded, turning back to look off in the distance. "Yeah."

"Boy, look at me." Her voice sounded so strange that Ranma immediately turned to face her, his expression puzzled. Akane also opened her eyes and turned her head that way. Lotion looked sad.

"I thought you knew," she said. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this. You can't use the Nanniichuan to cure yourself. Not now."

"Wh-wh-what do you mean?" Ranma stuttered, growing tense. "It's supposed to cure me! The Jusenkyo guide even sent me some! Back in Japan!"

Lotion looked taken aback, muttering quietly, "Why would he do that?" Speaking more loudly, she pointed out, "You're still cursed. So you must not have used it. What happened?"

Ranma grimaced, closing his eyes. "It was at our wedding. The attempted wedding, that is. Which turned into a holy disaster. Everyone was fighting over the cask. Then Happosai drank it all."

"Good," Lotion said forcefully, startling the two teenagers. "It could have been much worse."

By this point Ranma was looking extremely confused. "What do you mean?"

Lotion sighed. She didn't answer for several long seconds while she gathered her thoughts. "First, I must tell you that _if_ you could bathe in the waters of the Nanniichuan, it would indeed cure you. As it would cure any male with a Jusenkyo curse. Second, I am sorry to say that you cannot bathe in those waters. Not at this time."

She held up a hand to forestall further interruption. "The magic of Jusenkyo has a greater reach than you imagine. There is purpose behind its magic, although it is often mysterious to us what those purposes might be. Someone who has received one of its curses will _not_ be permitted to be cured, not until its purpose is fulfilled. Any attempt to gain a cure _will_ be thwarted. And the more carefully you plan, the more certain you make the attempt to be cured, the more powerfully Jusenkyo will rise up against you to stop it."

Ranma was staring at her, eyes wide, and she stared back, holding his gaze. "You say that the presence of the water helped your wedding to dissolve into disaster? Count yourself lucky. Imagine if the cask had split open rather than being drunk, and had doused your guests. Or your family. Or your bride-to-be.

"Or what if you had foreseen such circumstances? What if you had surrounded the premises with armed guards to keep out intruders? Poured the water carefully into a stone basin? Taken every possible precaution to be certain? How would Jusenkyo have responded? I could easily see a massive earthquake opening a chasm to swallow that basin whole, with all of the damage you might expect to accompany such. Or perhaps a meteor would have hit. I guarantee that _somehow_ you would have been prevented."

Ranma spoke in a ghost of a whisper. "Isn't there any hope? Any way to be cured?"

Lotion looked at him and answered, softly but firmly. "Not until Jusenkyo has finished with you. In all of the history of that cursed valley, all of the men and women who have ever _been_ cured have at the end obtained the cure easily, without any trouble, but only _long_ after they first received the curse. That history also contains many spectacular disasters which befell those who attempted cures, and who chose to ignore the difficulties they encountered along the way."

Ranma closed his eyes in pain. Akane reached a hand up and rested it gently on his back. Despite the lump in her own throat she managed to say, "I guess that answers a question I've wondered about since the beginning. Why the guide didn't tell you about the Nanniichuan on the day you were cursed, when you were right there where the pool could have cured you."

Ranma nodded. Then he asked, bitterly, "But if he knew all that, why did he send the cask of water to me in Japan? He musta known it wouldn't work. That I'd never get a chance to use it."

Lotion rested her chin on the end of her staff. "I'm afraid that the only person who could answer that is the man himself. I confess, I'm rather curious about that as well. He knows as much about Jusenkyo as anyone, perhaps a great deal more."

Ranma turned to her once again, his eyes begging. "Is there any way we could go see him? It's not that far. I want to know. I _have_ to know. I promise I won't try to escape. On my honor." He looked at the weights on his limbs and gave a forlorn laugh. "Besides, I don't know how to get these things off. I don't fancy wearing 'em for the rest of my life."

Lotion regarded him sympathetically, though she tried not to let the emotion show. "I'll see what I can do. No promises. And someone in your party would need to stay behind, as insurance of your good behavior."

"If Ranma goes, than so do I," Akane said quickly, struggling to pull herself into a sitting position. Ranma reached over and helped her up, keeping his arm around her back after.

The elder shrugged. "His father can stay behind. For some reason I don't think I'd trust that man near Jusenkyo. I'll see if the other elders will agree to such an expedition. But not until you finish the Breaking Point training. And if they agree, rest assured that I will find ways to train you on the hike there and back. Don't imagine for a moment that you'd be getting a holiday."

Akane groaned at the prospect of what her sadistic sensei might come up with in the name of training during such a trek. "Trust me. I didn't think for a minute you'd go soft and give me that long a break."

"True enough," Lotion replied cheerfully. "Speaking of which, it's time for you to collide with some more boulders. Up you get! March!"

* * *

Akane ate supper that night with Ranma and Konatsu, as usual. Genma however was not present. He had carried on at great length when informed that he would not be permitted to accompany his son to Jusenkyo, ignoring the fact that it was by no means guaranteed that Ranma would be given permission to go. He refused to believe the tale that Jusenkyo would not allow him to have the cure if he went there, and that its methods of stopping him could be hazardous. Lotion had finally been obliged to hit a pressure point to put him to sleep, which was why he was so uncharacteristically missing the meal.

Akane's appearance was a bit on the strange side. She wore pants to the meal, which wasn't that unusual, but she also had on a long-sleeved shirt despite the heat. A hood kept most of her face in shadow, and a pair of lace gloves scrounged up from God knows where were on her hands. Ranma and Konatsu both understood her reasons, and neither one commented on it. Akane wanted to spend time with Ranma, but she was feeling very self conscious about anyone getting a good look at her.

She couldn't completely hide her skin. Her neck was visible, and so was her face much of the time. The sleeves would pull back occasionally to show some of her arm. These glimpses showed flesh which was faintly green, due to the salve which covered her. Through the green one could just make out colors like yellow, purple, black and blue. Then there was the pungent smell of the salve. The effect was ... well, it was certainly enough to make any young woman self conscious.

Ranma tried to suppress a grin as he imagined what the considerably more vain Shampoo must be going through. Likely she was keeping herself absolutely isolated, in order to avoid the risk that someone might see her.

"So do you really think they'll let us go to Jusenkyo?" Akane asked. "Considering how much trouble they went through to trap us here in the first place?"

Ranma shrugged. "Hard to say. I don't think they'll balk at you going, or Konatsu either if he wants to see the place. Truth to tell, most of 'em would probably be happy if you ran off. Leastways, I'm damn sure Cologne would be tickled if you skipped out on that tournament."

He put another bite of food in his mouth and continued speaking while he chewed it. "Besides, if they do let me go, I'm pretty sure they'd send some guards with us." He caught Akane's frown, lowered his eyes, and made a point of swallowing before going on. "Prob'ly quite a few guards. And I ain't kidding about it being hard to escape with these weights on, or moving very fast if I did."

Akane replied thoughtfully, "I don't see what it gains them to run the risk of letting you make the trip."

"Well, one thing," Ranma said, "and I hope it'll be enough. Like Lotion told me, if they really were gonna keep me here, not that they will, they gotta start thinking twice 'bout pissing me off. I know that _I_ don't wanna think about what I might do in the neko-ken if I was mad enough at 'em. Even though I think what Cologne and Shampoo did mighta stored up a lifetime's supply of that already. But anyway ... Think about it. Keeping me away from my cure, or at least learning more about why I can't have it, that ain't the best way to stay on my good side."

Akane nodded at his words, although she remained unconvinced. For that matter, Ranma was pretty unconvinced himself. Akane turned to Konatsu and inquired, "If we do go, will you want to come along? I've been there, and there really isn't much to see. Just one more mountain valley, with a lot of pools of water in it."

"I ... I have been thinking about it," Konatsu answered her. "I have been thinking about it quite a lot, ever since we decided to come to China to save Ranma-sama. I have heard the story of his curse, of course, and I knew the valley was close to where we were going. But at the time it was an idle thought, since it never occurred to me we would have time to make a side trip there."

The young ninja looked off into the distance, at something only he could see. "But ever since we became ... guests here, and have been allowed to come and go more or less freely, my thoughts have been turning to it frequently. Of what it would be like. Of what my life might be like if ... if I were to ... immerse myself in the same pool as Ranma-sama."

Ranma looked horrified. "Why would you want to do a damn-fool thing like that for?"

Konatsu gave him a pained expression. "To be whole."

Ranma stared, confused. "Huh?" Akane thought she was beginning to see what their companion was getting at, but remained quiet.

"Try to understand, Ranma-sama. You are a man. You have always been a man. For you, what happened was a terrible curse. But I ..." He spread his arms wide, inviting them to look at him, in the female outfit he was currently wearing. "I was raised to believe that I was female. Until the day that you told me otherwise, I _knew_ that I was female. Thanks to you, I now know this to have been a lie. But knowing this does not change how I see myself."

He lowered his voice, trying to find the words to express how he felt. "From the inside, behind my eyes, I am not a boy who mistakenly believed himself to be a girl. I am a girl who mistakenly has the body of a boy."

Ranma, sounding completely disbelieving, said, "And so you ... want the same curse as me ... so you'll have the right body?"

Konatsu replied solemnly, "So I think. I have been thinking about it quite a lot. I know it is not a minor decision to make."

"No sh-, uh, damn right it ain't." Ranma shook his head. "Even if you do this, you won't be female all the time. Hot water will still change you back to a guy. You'd also have to put up with getting hit by water regular."

The feminine ninja smiled. "So I have seen, to judge by your example. However, hot water is not so common as cold. If I were to spend most of the time in my, ah, 'cursed' form, it might be that I would not meet quite so many accidents with water."

Akane reached out a hand and laid it gently on Konatsu's arm. Softly she asked, "What about ... Ukyo?"

Konatsu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and released it slowly. "That has been much on my mind, and has held me back from making a decision." He opened his eyes, and he looked at Akane, letting her see his uncertainty. "I love Ukyo-sama. I do. Truly. But I also know that she does not love me back, not yet, and maybe not ever. I do not think I should let that hope prevent me from making the decision that is right for me, if in fact this decision is right for me. Besides ..." He gave them a weak grin. "... to judge from her past behavior, Ukyo-sama is not necessarily averse to marrying someone with such a curse."

Neither of the other two could entirely suppress an answering grin. Then Ranma's face grew serious again, and he blew out a long breath. "Yeah, but ... I was always a guy, even with the curse, and Ukyo knew it." He chewed on his lip. "Konatsu, man ... be very, very certain you think this through carefully before you go through with it. 'Cause from what we been told there ain't no going back once you have the curse. And I can tell you from experience that it has seriously messed up my life in a lotta ways."

Konatsu nodded his head, his expression equally serious. "I am well aware of that. On the other hand, would you say that you are the sort of man who would ever treat a girl as an object? Who would think that girls are there for your pleasure? That all of them secretly long for your touch? Your caress?"

Ranma looked at the other boy as if he'd lost his mind. "What're you _talking_ about? O'course I wouldn't act like that. Dammit, don't you think I've had my fill and more of guys leering at me? Trying to grope me? You really think I'd do that to any girl, knowing what it feels like?"

Akane was staring at Ranma, as if seeing him in a new light. Konatsu nodded in her direction. "Then given that you plan to marry a young woman who was treated that way by all the boys she knew, and reportedly hated them for it, perhaps your curse has done you at least one good turn."

Ranma was looking at Konatsu blankly. His mouth was open to say something, but he had no idea what it was going to be. He sat there like that for several long seconds, and might have continued doing so had not Lotion chosen that moment to enter the room and draw their attention.

"I must say," she told the boy in front of her, "you certainly are a source of inspiration for council debates. That was quite a little argument we just had. But they have agreed that you and Akane can make a short trip to Jusenkyo, provided Genma remains behind. Konatsu can go or stay as he likes. In addition to your usual guards, another two dozen will accompany us, to help cut down on any temptation you might feel. Although Cologne sent along an invitation for Akane to run off if she feels like it, with her good wishes."

The young woman in question snorted. "No chance. Not without Ranma. When do we go?" A note of hope crept into her voice. "Tomorrow?"

It was Lotion's turn to snort. "As you yourself just said, 'no chance.' I already told you, you will finish the Breaking Point training first. We will plan to go in ... four days. I think you'll finish that portion of your training in two days at the latest, but it would be best to wait a couple of days further before going on a long hike."

The young woman nodded, and Lotion turned and left, overdue for dinner back at her own home. Akane turned to Konatsu, caught his eye, and said, "Looks like you have four days to decide. And Konatsu ... think about it really hard. I don't want to see you hurt. And take time to talk to Ranma about it. Really talk. Get him to open up about some of the stuff he's never been willing to tell anyone - not even me."

She turned and caught Ranma's eye. "He needs to know. Everything. So he can make the right decision."

Ranma returned her intent gaze, his teeth slowly biting into his lip. Finally he gave a single, sharp nod of his head. No one else could have asked this of him, but for Akane ... he breathed in shakily. "Okay. Not tonight. I'll ... I need time. Tomorrow. And Akane ... I ... if you want, maybe you should be there too. It's time you ... you should be there. Besides ..." He gave her a sickly grin. "Likely I'll need to be prodded to keep me talking."

Akane leaned over, pulled her hood back, and kissed him on the cheek. She whispered, "If you need me, and want me, then I'll be there. Always." She gave him a look that took his breath away before pulling the hood forward once more.

* * *

**Author's note:**

This is the halfway point in the story. There will be a brief intermission while I post a one-shot divergence from the Wishbringer arc, for which the working title is _Cursed No More_, and also chapter 8 of _Side by Side_. I should then return to _Fighting Chance_.

In chapter 7, Mousse and his fellow travelers spend time with the Musk, Akane undergoes more training, and a short trip is made to Jusenkyo.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	7. Return to Jusenkyo

**Fighting Chance  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Cologne and Shampoo trick Ranma into following Akane to China, but Akane is fast on the trail. Will she be able to defeat overwhelming odds to save Ranma? Who will win her happy ending in the greatest catfight ever?

* * *

**Chapter 7. Return to Jusenkyo**

"Ooof!" The air exploded from Akane's lungs as she slammed into yet another boulder. "Owwohhh!" She reached the farthest point of her backward swing and hung for a heartbeat in air before starting down and forward, watching the rock arc toward her, shakily holding up a finger in preparation for their destined meeting.

Konatsu and Ranma sat side by side, observing Akane's training. Except for a couple of guards pulling on ropes, there really wasn't a thing for anyone to do except watch. Ranma of course refused to leave Akane's side during her training, but Konatsu hadn't bothered to say why _he_ was sticking around. No further words had yet been spoken between them concerning the previous evening's confession, but both knew that an uncomfortable discussion lay before them sometime tonight. Ranma, at least, was trying not to think about it.

A young Amazon ran into the clearing, a girl in her middle teens, waving something in the air. "A message for you, Elder Lotion," she called. The old woman jumped down from her perch and took the envelope. As she opened it and perused the contents, the messenger wandered around getting her breath back. Seemingly by chance, the girl ended up close to the two boys.

"Um, hi," she said shyly.

"Hello yourself," Ranma replied. Konatsu merely nodded his head in acknowledgment.

The girl's eyes were locked on Konatsu, ignoring Ranma. "Uhh, they say you're a pretty good fighter," she got out nervously. Her Japanese was accented, but free of grammatical errors.

"I was trained as a kunoichi from as far back as I can remember," the young man said in answer to her statement.

The girl was digging at the ground with a toe, her hands clasped behind her back. "So, um, have you ever given any thought to staying here?"

Ranma noted with amusement that her face was growing rosy. His amusement increased on seeing the tips of Konatsu's ears turning pink.

"This is not my home," the ninja offered.

"It _could_ be," she told him. Then her eyes went wide, having said more than she intended. Thoroughly embarrassed, the girl turned and ran off, quickly disappearing from sight. Konatsu's face relaxed with relief.

"That happening a lot?" Ranma asked.

Konatsu winced, obviously uncomfortable, but nodded. "That's why I came with you today. They seem to be less of a bother when I'm near anyone who's training. I suspect they worry about risking the wrath of one of the elders."

Ranma considered teasing Konatsu about his popularity, but then thought better of it. After all, his own popularity was even higher. The only thing sparing him from similar harassment was that the guards stuck closer to him than they did to the boy beside him, and that he was most often to be found in Lotion's company. Well, that plus the thought of what Shampoo might say, or do, to them if she caught them flirting with her 'airen.'

So instead Ranma asked, "You ever think about seeing if you can pick up some additional techniques while you're here?"

Konatsu shook his head. "I thought about it once or twice, but it seems unlikely. Elder Lotion is busy with Akane. Who else here would be interested in teaching me? I suspect most of the elders would actively discourage anyone from doing so. Elder Cologne taught you some things back in Japan, but I believe she always hoped to make you one of them, and may even have been trying to tempt you by showing what you could learn from them."

"Guess you're right," Ranma said.

Lotion left the guards swinging boulders at Akane and came over to stand near the two young men. "They've sent me the schedule for the tournament. Who will be fighting whom in the first round, and which winners of each pairing will match up thereafter. I suspect someone is trying to indulge a taste for the dramatic. Shampoo and Akane will not meet in any of the preliminary rounds. If both of them manage to defeat all of their other opponents, those two will be the final pairing. Of course, that 'if' should not be ignored. Many of the other girls are quite skilled."

"I got confidence in Akane," Ranma said.

Lotion's lips twisted in an attempt not to smile at the hopeful tone of his voice. "I'm not saying that your confidence is misplaced, though there are at least a few opponents who will present her a difficult challenge. She is good and she is getting better. But there is always some small element of chance in these things, and that applies to Shampoo's matches as well. Would you really object if some twist of fate caused Shampoo to lose one of the earlier rounds?"

Ranma made no attempt to prevent the smile which graced his face at the thought. "I guess not. Or rather, hell no."

Lotion nodded, then added, "Still, I must admit that Shampoo will almost certainly make it to the final round. Akane's case is not so certain, but looking at the schedule, there are only two girls who pose threat enough to concern me greatly, assuming they get that far themselves. Plus a handful of others who present some threat, particularly if she doesn't take them seriously or allows herself to become overconfident. There is one other girl who could have been a dangerous threat, but who will be meeting Shampoo first and should thus be eliminated. Either that, or she will get lucky, eliminate Shampoo and go on to the final round herself."

Ranma looked wistful. "I wish I could be in the tournament myself. I'd love to see Akane win, of course. But it feels weird to leave my fate in someone else's hands, while I just stand back and watch."

The old woman gave him a piercing look. "So tell me, young man. How many times has Akane been forced to stand back and watch, knowing that her fate was in your hands?"

Ranma looked away, unable to meet her eyes.

"Thought so," she said smugly. "So now you get a chance to know what if feels like. To know what she has gone through. Think of it as a learning experience."

Ranma mumbled something under his breath. No one asked him to repeat it. Instead they turned their attention back to the training area, just in time to wince at a particularly hard collision between Akane and the boulder.

* * *

Shampoo watched the boulder coming at her, holding out a bandaged finger, desperately seeking the point which would shatter the stone. She failed to find it and grunted with anguish at the impact. For the first time in her life the young Amazon found herself wishing that nature had seen fit to endow her less generously.

The pain itself, though terrible, she endured stoically. Shampoo had suffered through many other painful forms of training, if none quite so immediately brutal. The thing that was really bothering her was how it was keeping her apart from her airen. The teenager reflected miserably on her currently hideous appearance. There was no way that she was going to let Ranma see her like this!

The rock struck her again, causing her to cry out. She hadn't even had her finger out to seek the breaking point.

"Stop daydreaming and focus girl!"

Shampoo looked up at the sound of the withered voice. Her great-grandmother was standing on top of the boulder which had slammed into her just now. The girl felt a sudden flood of anger sweep through her at the old woman for putting her through this, but the feeling was just as suddenly replaced by shame and a return to wallowing in her misery. She bowed her head and mumbled, "Sorry." She was in fact feeling very sorry for herself.

Cologne frowned, thinking over possible motivations. Putting a bit of sneer into her words, she asked, "Do you intend to let Akane Tendo learn this more quickly than you?"

Shampoo looked up, eyes blazing. "Again!" she snarled.

* * *

Genma was in his bedroom, allegedly taking a nap, while his lone guard relaxed in the outer room. In reality he was experimenting with the chi weights adorning his limbs, nor was it the first opportunity he had taken to do so. A sudden flash caused the man to yank his hand away from the weight he was probing with tendrils of chi. He bit back an oath so as not to alert the guard, and blew frantically on his singed fingertips.

The master of the Saotome Ryu had seen no point in mentioning to anyone that these encumbrances greatly resembled weights his old master had used for training _him_, once upon a time. Genma suspected that the resemblance was no coincidence. He was willing to wager that Happosai had once observed the Amazons using something of the sort and copied it from them, experimenting until he achieved a functional duplicate.

More importantly, Genma understood how Happosai's version had worked, an understanding born of necessity, like many lessons in the school of Anything Goes. Simply put, if he had not figured out how to free himself from them, he would eventually have starved. So while these devices were clearly different, the wily martial artist was confident he would eventually find the way to remove them.

What to do then was a little less certain, and would depend on how the girl's training was progressing. If he showed Ranma how to remove the weights, the boy might decide that escaping offered a better chance than waiting to see how the tournament played out. Genma felt differently. Although wary of these foreigners, so far the Joketsuzoku seemed to be keeping their word. If there was any chance at all that Akane could win, then Genma would prefer to see that through - because if she did win, a victory supposedly granting her the right to marry his son, then it was far less likely Ranma would get cold feet regarding the marriage and attempt to squirm out of it again.

If, on the other hand, things did not work out that way - well, that was why he was about his present task. Assuming he could decipher the means to disable his own weights, it should only take a minute to remove the boy's, if the situation warranted. No need to alert the lad to the possibility before then.

Of course, it was always possible Ranma might be working on the same problem, going about it in secret just as he himself was. His son might never have seen such devices before, but he knew more about chi than most, and Genma would not be at all surprised if the boy could figure them out. The only question was whether it would occur to him to make the attempt, and Genma was willing to wager against it, say about five to one odds. After all, he knew his son well. Most likely, Ranma was looking upon the weights as extra training, and his attention on them was primarily focused on becoming strong enough to fight despite them. Given enough time, he'd turn his attention to the question of how to remove them, but for now Ranma was probably thinking in terms of overcoming them.

Genma realized that he'd allowed these thoughts to distract him when a sudden sizzling sound made him leap to his feet, grasping his hand. He bounced around the room briefly, clenching his teeth in the effort to hold back the curses. When he finally sat back down, he gave the infernal contraption a mighty glare, then placed his fingers against it and began probing once more.

* * *

Mousse and the three girls were cooling their heels in a parlor, the room well lit by sunlight streaming in through windows which overlooked a mountain lake. Refreshments were on a table and they had been availing themselves of these while they waited. The woman in charge of their party had been closeted with the king of the Musk for just over two hours now.

"I swear," one girl said, repeating herself for the ninth or tenth time that afternoon, "if one more of these creeps asks if he can see my boobs, I'm going to deck him!"

"Oh, give it a rest already!" Meifen begged, letting her head lie against the back of the couch on which she sat. "They've said the same to all of us."

"Speak for yourself," Mousse mumbled, earning himself a glare from Meifen which wavered and then dissolved into a snicker.

"Besides," the third girl pointed out, "a lot of these guys really are pretty strong. Do you seriously want to take the chance you could end up forced to marry one of them if he defeats you?" This suggestion earned her a glare of her own.

At that moment a door swung open and three men entered the room. They pulled up short on finding it already occupied. The one in front wore silks and bore himself regally. One of his companions was heavily muscled and wore striped armor. The last was of slighter build, and had a wolf's pelt on his head, trailing down his back.

The girls immediately stood on seeing them. Mousse rose to his feet more slowly. He made no threatening move, but his posture clearly had nothing of deference about it. His attention was focused in particular on the third and shortest member of the party which had just entered.

This young man was staring equally intently at Mousse, his eyebrows lowered with recognition. His hand blurred toward the sheath on his back and then he was holding a sword, pointing it at the male Amazon. Practically hissing, he demanded, "What are _you_ doing here?"

Mousse nodded his head the slightest fraction in response. "Mint. I am here on business, not to fight. Although I will be happy to do so if you insist." His eyes flicked across the other two. "Prince Herb. Lime. We meet again."

Mint growled low in his throat. "I have not forgotten our last meeting. Nor my humiliation. You will face me now ..."

He broke off as Herb raised a hand, palm down. "Mint." His voice was quiet, but commanding. "Restrain yourself. He has clearly come in company with the envoy. You will not single-handedly start a war between our peoples."

Mint came to attention, closing his eyes briefly as he brought himself under control. The sword slid home in its sheath. "Yes, my prince. My apologies." He opened his eyes again. The look he gave Mousse was anything but apologetic.

Meifen and the other girls were staring with fascination. It was apparent that Mousse was acquainted with the crown prince of the Musk. It was equally apparent that he had quarreled with the prince's companion at some point, and that the outcome had been such that the man was still smarting. Meifen regarded Mousse with renewed interest. She had already seen that he was a skilled fighter, but it appeared that his time spent away from home must have been even more fascinating than she had realized.

"You have returned to your people," Herb said to the Amazon male. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, I have," Mousse replied evenly. "And did you marry your bride?"

The corners of Herb's mouth gave an upward twitch, but he did not allow himself to smile. "Yes, I did. And may I ask what became of my foe? Ranma Saotome?"

Mousse allowed a very slight smile to curve his lips. "He fought and defeated Saffron of the Phoenix. Killed him in fact. Though, alas, it did not last."

Herb's eyes widened the tiniest amount. His servitors were not so controlled. Their mouths gaped wide, and Lime gave a strangled cry of "What?!" He regained control of his voice and added, "We heard there was some sort of trouble with their leader, but ..." He trailed off, lifting his arms wide, obviously having trouble accepting what he had been told.

"It's true," Mousse told them quietly. "I was an eyewitness to the battle. Saotome was fighting to save the life of the woman he loves, and Saffron stood in the way. In the end Ranma tore Saffron's body to pieces."

"I had not heard that part of the tale," Meifen said hesitantly from where she stood. "That ... makes Elder Lotion's concerns more understandable."

Herb turned his attention toward her, curiosity further aroused. "Saotome has become a matter of concern to your elders? I have already spoken to your Lotion of him before, but I did not gain a sense that she was unduly concerned about him in any way."

It was Mousse who answered. "Cologne tricked Ranma into chasing her to our village. Where they managed through more trickery to trap him. Now he is to be forced to marry the winner of an upcoming tournament."

Herb was unable to keep the smile off of his face on hearing this. In fact, he gave a slight chuckle before masking the remainder behind a cough. "I ... see. That is ... most amusing. When is this due to take place?"

"In a week and a half. As I understand it, the ceremonies and protocols surrounding our visit here will prevent us from returning in time to witness the event."

Herb's gaze seemed to turn inward. After several moments he replied thoughtfully, "It is possible that much of that could be, hmm, _expedited_. I believe that I would rather enjoy seeing this tournament myself. I would even more greatly enjoy witnessing its aftermath."

Lime's face lit. "You mean we get to visit a village full of _female_ warriors?! Oh, thank you, Herb!"

The eyebrows on all three of the women in the room lowered darkly. The prince turned to his two companions with a look which was, if possible, even darker. "If we do go, and if either of you troubles any female there in _any_ manner whatsoever, then I will _personally_ hold you down while they remove your head. Is that clear?"

The two young men swallowed nervously. "Er, yes, your highness!" they both answered quickly.

Herb turned back and said politely, "Please inform the envoy that I would like to speak with her on the subject of paying a state visit to witness this tournament. I will also speak with my father about arranging matters so that we may leave in time to achieve this." Without waiting for a response he swept out of the room, with Lime and Mint scrambling to catch up.

Meifen and the other girls regarded Mousse with raised eyebrows after this departure. "So," Meifen began slowly, "you are acquainted with the crown prince of the Musk."

Mousse shrugged, not meeting her eye. "Saotome and Prince Herb fought each other, on an occasion. About a year ago. I was, umm, Saotome's ally in the fight. More or less. I subdued Mint. The wolfish one."

"You seem to have been in quite a few battles at Ranma's side."

The boy responded to this awkwardly. "More, err, _against_ him, than at his side. But yes."

"You fought at his side against our own warriors. Against _me_, for that matter." Meifen was speaking slowly, thoughtfully. "What do you think will be the outcome of this tournament? Of his marriage to one of our warriors?"

"It's ... not my place to say," Mousse sidestepped.

Meifen smiled at this. "Nonetheless, I am asking."

The young man sighed, and turned to gaze out the window sightlessly. "Disaster," was all he said at first. After several long seconds he reluctantly elaborated. "Disaster, whatever the outcome. Saotome is not a god, he is not invincible. The elders can kill him, though I would hesitate to bet on any lesser warrior doing so, except in overwhelming numbers or using modern weapons. Yes, they can kill him. But they will not break him, nor subdue him, nor make him accept a place among our people by any other means. Which makes the entire effort pointless. And when backed into a corner, he _will_ fight, and he will do terrible damage before they take him down."

One of the other girls scoffed. "_Any_ man can be broken. Perhaps as a male you do not know, but ..."

Mousse cut her off with a slash of his hand, glaring at her. "No!" he said fiercely. "It is _you_ who don't understand! Yes, I know of the techniques to which you refer. The drugs, the magic. I also know that they are utterly useless in this case."

He turned to Meifen. "You saw him that day. When we fought. When he became like a cat."

The girl nodded, not understanding the importance.

Mousse attempted to enlighten them. "Ranma Saotome is an adept of a martial arts technique ... no, a martial arts _curse_ called the neko-ken. A technique which renders its practitioners temporarily insane, but also unbeatable. It is not something which can be brought under his control, and sooner or later he will succumb to it again. I believe that this is what Lotion truly fears.

"When I first learned of this, after the first time I witnessed Saotome's reaction to Shampoo's cursed form, I learned what I could of it. Know your enemy. So I snuck a look at Cologne's private scrolls. The neko-ken draws chi in from everything around the fighter, giving him strength and speed beyond belief. It deflects all magic. It can remove any drug from his body. The fighter acts on instinct and possesses no human inhibitions. If he finds himself facing someone he hates ..."

He didn't bother to complete the sentence, allowing them to draw the obvious conclusion. He merely added quietly, "Even if we could break or control the human Ranma, we have no means whatsoever to control the cat. One day it will reappear, and I believe it will be _royally_ pissed."

The other two girls looked skeptical. Meifen just walked up to him, looking him over. "You have been Ranma's rival and ally. You have fought against him and beside him. You seem to have survived."

Without warning her fist shot out toward his chest, at a speed which proved she had been trained in the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken. She failed, however, to strike her target. Her hand was stopped a centimeter short, her wrist held in an iron grip. Meifen looked from the hand which held hers up to its owner, to see Mousse regarding her quizzically.

"You may release me now," she told him.

Mousse did so, but his eyebrows drew down. "What was the point of that?"

"A small test," she replied, but did not explain further. She wasn't even entirely sure of her reasons herself. Meifen wanted to rub at her wrist, which had been stopped by a strength even greater than she had suspected. Instead she nonchalantly strolled over to the table of refreshments and filled a plate. She sat down and began to eat, carefully not looking in the direction of the male martial artist but all too conscious of his presence. She wondered why that was so, and what was making her feel ever so slightly off balance.

* * *

Another night and day had passed. Ranma and Akane were eating dinner alone together. Alone, that is, provided one overlooked the handful of guards in the next room. Akane was wildly exultant, eating with gusto, unable to stop smiling under the hood she still wore to hide the disfiguring bruises.

"I can't believe I did it! Did you see that boulder explode?"

Ranma laughed. "Yes, I did," he told her. "The answer is still yes, just like it was the last twenty times you asked that question."

Akane stuck out her tongue at him but turned her attention back to the meal, continuing to smile as she ate. Acknowledging to herself that perhaps she was going on about it a _wee_ bit too much, she sought a different subject, looked around at the empty room once more. "I know you told me that Konatsu and your father wouldn't be joining us tonight, but you didn't say why. Where are they?"

Ranma swallowed what was in his mouth before answering. "Konatsu only spoke to me briefly this morning. Said he had a lot to think about after our talk last night. He was planning to fast and meditate all day about the decision he has to make. He said not to expect him back before late tonight."

"Oh." Akane nodded, her air becoming more serious. "That makes sense. I hope he does think hard about it. I still have trouble believing he might go through with it. I'd also like to tell you how proud I was of you last night, the way you opened up to him. I could tell you gave him a lot to think about."

Ranma shrugged, feeling awkward and not liking it. "It wasn't easy. But there was a lot of stuff there that I wanted ... wanted you to hear. Before we ... go any further. Make sure you understood. Basically, I let Konatsu sit in on what I wanted to tell you about my curse and some of how it's affected me, rather than the other way around."

"It was still brave of you, because I know how hard it was for you." She smiled sympathetically for his red tipped ears and lowered eyes, and mercifully moved on to the other missing person. "And your father ...?"

Ranma laughed briefly, although there was no joy in the sound. "Back in his cell for a couple of days. They caught him trying to break into the records vault. I gather the elders were amused at his idiocy for thinking he could get through their security so easily, or at any rate more amused than they were offended at what he was trying to do. Lotion also announced that as an additional punishment, she's putting him on a strict diet. He howled more about that than he did about being locked up again."

"Oh. Sorry." She sounded more resigned than sorry, however, and there was a wry twist to her lips.

He shook his head, though whether to deflect the sympathy or just ask for the subject to be dropped wasn't clear. Whichever was the case, Akane turned her attention to eating, and the room was silent for the next several minutes.

As she sat there, Akane's thoughts returned to the day's training. Most especially to that moment when she first saw the critical point in the boulder's chi and shattered it. Another big bubble of glee built up and burst out of her with a giggle. "It just blew to pieces. That was so cool. Do you remember?"

Ranma shook his head in resignation, smiling as he did so. "I need to ask Lotion if I can borrow a tape recorder. I'll make a recording saying, 'Yes, I saw' and then you can play it back whenever you want to."

Akane gave him a smiling glare. "Hey, I have a right to be proud! That's the harshest piece of training I've ever done, and I made it through." Her face lit at the thought, and she looked at her fiancé speculatively, mischievously. Excitedly, she demanded, "Come on! Hit me again!"

Ranma squirmed. "Damn it, Akane. You know how uncomfortable it makes me. I already gave in to you and did it twice. Ain't that enough?"

She tried to make puppy dog eyes at him, but the effort was wasted since he couldn't really see her eyes under the hood. Her tone of voice said it all, however, as she begged. "Pleeease?"

"Ah, dammit. Don't you know what it does to me? Get one of the women in the other room to do it. They'll be happy to."

Akane huffed. "They can't hit as hard as you. This'll be the last time, I promise. Pretty, pretty please? You already know it won't hurt me."

Ranma groaned. In a harsh, ragged voice he told her, "This is the last time. _Really_ the last time. Understood?"

Akane nodded eagerly and bounced to her feet. Ranma stood up much more slowly. He still couldn't believe she had talked him into this the first time, let alone three times, even if he had silently held back from using his full strength. The young martial artist closed his eyes and gathered his mental focus, reminding himself of the very purpose behind her recent training. He opened his eyes, looking at his fiancée with terrifying concentration, then hauled back and struck her with an open palm. Akane went flying back to crash into the stone wall from which the house was constructed, shattering the surface of the stone and bouncing back off to fall to the floor on her hands and knees.

She jumped back up instantly, running forward and throwing her arms around Ranma, pulling him into a tight hug. "That was great! Thanks! It didn't hurt a bit!" Akane looked through the doorway to see that the guards had looked up at the noise, but having recognized what had happened were now turning back to their own conversation with a few laughs. Feeling daring, Akane leaned in and gave Ranma a quick kiss with another whispered, "Thank you!"

Ranma reached up and slowly pushed the hood back, revealing Akane's face. He gently suggested, "You don't have to wear this, you know."

She lowered her eyes. Bit her lip. Timidly she replied, "But I ... I'm all bruised. Ugly."

"Badges," Ranma told her softly. "To be worn with honor. To show everyone that you are a _real_ martial artist, the martial artist that I fell in love with. You'll always be beautiful to me." He leaned in and brushed her lips gently with his.

Akane gave an uneasy laugh. "Who are you and what have you done with my Ranma? That was almost eloquent."

His smile grew. "I guess you inspire me."

She returned his smile. "As long as you don't change into another Kuno." Then the smile faltered, and she nervously reached her own hands up. Akane slowly pulled the hood further back, until it fell behind her head. She looked into his eyes searchingly, seeking any sign of disgust. After another minute she pulled the gloves off of her hands.

"My beautiful tomboy," Ranma told her, and gave her another soft kiss.

Akane leaned into the kiss, pressing herself against him firmly. A fire was igniting within her, a desire to go on kissing him and never let go. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips. "Thank you."

Without drawing away, Ranma whispered back, teasing, "For what? For hitting you earlier?"

"Mmm. That too," she said.

Ranma pulled back just enough to look into Akane's eyes, his own eyebrows raised. "You're not seriously going to tell me that me hitting you will make you act like this? That's ... disturbing."

Akane reached a hand up behind his head and pulled it forward, pressing her forehead to his. "Baka," she said softly. "No, not hitting as a general thing. Treating me like a martial artist. Respecting me. That makes me ... very warm inside."

She pressed her lips to his again, then parted her lips. Ranma felt the tip of her tongue caress his own lips, and he opened to her, letting her do as she wished. The kiss became more passionate. Someone moaned. Fingers were tracing sparks of electric current along each other's backs.

"A-Hem!" The sound was very loud, right beside them. Akane and Ranma sprang away from each other.

Jade was gazing at them both sternly, though the effect was somewhat spoiled by the slight upward curve at the corners of her mouth. "Aunt Lotion would have my hide if I let you get away with that. So if you two are finished, with your dinner I mean, then I think it's time for Akane to come back to my house."

"I, uh, ..." Ranma was stammering. Akane looked chagrined, but somehow smug at the same time. Ranma finally completed his sentence with, "I think that might be a good idea."

"See you tomorrow, baka!" Akane called over her shoulder, as Jade hustled her out of the room.

"Looking forward to it, tomboy!" Ranma called after her. The door closed, leaving him alone to his thoughts. Quietly, the words heard only by himself, he added, "Definitely looking forward to it."

* * *

Ranma sat on the ground watching Akane up on the challenge log, fighting Konatsu. She was holding her own against the ninja, although Konatsu wasn't trying any of the trickier weapons in his arsenal. Several minutes had passed since they began the current round, and Akane was doing better than her fiancé had expected against the immensely skilled ninja. At last, however, a mistimed blow gave Konatsu the leverage to topple her from the log. Akane landed lightly on her toes before looking back up in frustration.

The watching guards commented among themselves on the techniques the sparring pair had demonstrated, while Konatsu jumped down without so much as raising a cloud of dust. Ranma caught Akane's eye and gave her a thumb's up to indicate his satisfaction at how she had done, at which Akane's expression grew easier. After all, they both reflected, Konatsu was able to give _Ranma_ a pretty good fight, so it was hardly surprising if Akane wasn't able to defeat Ukyo's pretty waitress yet.

So far, Akane had been sent tumbling to the ground by the two older guards and one of the younger, in addition to Konatsu, and had herself managed to defeat two of the younger guards. Ranma wished that he could get up there and spar with her himself, but with the weights he was wearing it just wouldn't do. So he only watched as one of the younger guards climbed up onto the log to face Akane again.

Something tapped the young man on the shoulder. He spun around in surprise that someone had snuck up on him to see Lotion standing there, grinning. She motioned with her head to indicate the woman and man who were standing beside her.

"They're here to take you away to get fitted for your wedding garments," the old woman told him without preamble.

Ranma made a face. "I ain't getting married here. No way, no how."

Lotion sighed. "So we may hope. But however confident we may sound when speaking to Akane of the tournament ourselves, you and I both know that the odds are not on her side. Not when there are some few opponents before her, including Shampoo, whose skills are her equal or better."

Ranma crossed his arms and set his face. "She'll win. I ain't gonna let myself think any different. And if she does lose ... you might wanna think about putting some distance between you and me if they try to force me to marry someone else."

Lotion raised an eyebrow, pointedly staring at the weights he wore. "Hobbled as you are?" she asked seriously. Then she shook her head. "Arguing about this is pointless. We both hope that Akane will win and take you far, far away from here. But in the meantime, will you please cooperate? There is no point in starting a war before you even know that Akane has lost. Just ... go along."

Ranma got himself to his feet, his expression one of utter disgust. "If you insist. But I'm doing this under protest."

Lotion let her eyes roll up. "Noted. And please _try_ not to take it out on these two poor souls. They're not warriors. I'm also afraid that they don't speak any Japanese."

"Peachy," Ranma muttered. He paused as Akane used a deft twist to send her opponent flying off the log. The guards cheered her, and Ranma made a show of applauding despite the weights on his wrists. Then he turned and left, head hanging, following after the man and woman. Slowly. Dragging his feet the entire way.

Jade walked up. "What was that all about? He didn't look too happy."

Lotion chuckled. "They're preparing his wedding clothes. You can guess how he took that."

Jade gave a laugh of her own.

Lotion added. "He's not the only one who's disgusted. You should have heard the tailor complaining to me about not knowing which girl will be wearing the bridal wardrobe. He's leaving some of it unfinished until a victor is declared, and he's making multiple versions of some pieces."

Jade was still smiling but then her face turned serious. She looked at the fight which was in progress on the log. Nodding in that direction the warrior asked, "Do you really think she has a chance?"

"A chance, yes," Lotion replied, watching as Akane won again, and another guard climbed onto the log. "We'll make it the best chance that we can. You were up there fighting her earlier. What do you think?"

"I think ... that I would not want to face her when she gets to be my age," Jade responded after a moment. "Not liking to lose. Unfortunately, she's not my age yet. I suppose ... the lass has a chance, a slim one. Maybe. Shampoo is much better than her. If I were to wager, I wouldn't put my money on Akane."

Lotion sighed. "I think you're being a little overly pessimistic. The girl has a lot of unfulfilled potential unlike, say, Shampoo, who is already at the top of her form. Shampoo should continue to improve steadily as she ages, but I don't see her making any great leaps forward. There are several days left for me to help Akane reach some of that untapped potential, and I think she's going to be better than I had dared hope by the time of the tournament. Still ... to repeat what I said to Ranma just before he left, the odds are not on Akane's side." Lotion sighed again. "We need months, not days."

Jade frowned. "Is there anything else we can do?"

The elder shrugged. "What would you suggest? The problem isn't in her capabilities, but in the shortness of time. We'll do our best, and hope. Personally, I think we can get her good enough to have at least a fighting chance against the rest of the participants. Then we just need to pray for some small miracle against Shampoo. After all, we've both seen some damnable things in previous bouts." She paused, then grinned. "Remember the bee that landed on that girl's nose five, no six, years ago?"

Jade chuckled at the memory.

The old woman went on, not waiting for any further response. "I _am_ sure I'll have Akane good enough that if any tiny thing goes wrong for Shampoo, if some chance causes her to leave a small opening, Akane should be able to seize the opportunity. I admit it's a faint hope."

The middle-aged guard looked up as the next duel began. "I guess I'll take your word for it. Seems like an awful lot of work for a pretty slender chance."

Lotion shook her head. "You might be right if that was my only reason." At Jade's curious look, she went on to explain, "Haven't you noticed how calm Ranma's been since we started? Cooperative, even. Instead of doing who knows how much further damage trying to escape. The girl's training is worth it just for that, but I'm looking even further. Suppose Akane loses. What if Ranma ends up having to marry Shampoo, or one of the other girls? With this training I have him working with us, and that means he's getting to know us. Getting to see that there's more to us than Shampoo and Cologne. Maybe even seeing some of our good points."

Jade responded skeptically, "You really think that'll get him to accept his fate?"

The elder snorted. "Not likely, I know. But I'll be satisfied if it just gets him to limit the damage, if we end up having to subdue him by force. Not that we should have too much trouble as long as those weights are on him."

The thought made her scowl, a scowl which increased as she continued to reflect on the idea. Something had seemed off about the boy. When Ranma applauded. When he climbed to his feet. His awkward shuffled step as he hobbled off afterward. She turned to Jade and asked, unexpectedly, "Have you noticed anything funny about Ranma? When he's walking or, well, doing anything?"

The other woman stared. "Noooo. Funny how?"

The elder turned and looked in the direction Ranma had departed. "Earlier, when he was clapping, I could almost have sworn ... Look, just keep an eye on him, and let me know if you observe anything unusual."

Bewildered but dutiful, Jade responded, "Certainly." Together they turned back to watch the current bout on the log.

* * *

"Dammit! I don't remember the path being this steep the first time I came here!"

Akane took a firmer grip on Ranma's arm. "Perhaps because you weren't carrying as much weight that time?" He shot her a medium glower before returning his focus to the rocky trail.

They were finally making the promised trip to Jusenkyo. Lotion was right behind the pair, trailed in turn by Konatsu, who had been silent and withdrawn since leaving the village. Their usual guards were immediately in front. An even larger group of Joketsuzoku warriors were up above them, ahead on the trail, while another large group followed behind and below.

The entire procession was strung out single file, since there was not currently room for any of them to be on either side. The mountainside rose like a cliff on the right, and fell dizzyingly on the left.

"Just a little further," Lotion said from a couple of meters behind them. "Then the path turns and enters a dale, where it also levels off for a time."

Before long the path took the turn which Lotion had foretold, and she suggested that everyone take a rest. Half of the extra guards were positioned at the point where the trail entered the dale, and half were sent on to stand at the exit. Lotion, Ranma, Akane, Konatsu, and their everyday guards settled down in the middle, out of sight of the rest.

After allowing Akane enough of a break to catch her breath, Lotion said, "Time for some more training. Up on your feet, girl."

Akane groaned but stood up. "What now?"

Lotion pointed off to the side with her staff. "See those trees? Think you can knock them down?"

Akane studied the trees as she answered. "Yeah. Ranma's father was working with me on that. These are a little thicker, um, a lot thicker, but ..." She shrugged.

"Show me," the old woman told her.

Akane walked up to one of the trees, as thick in the trunk as Genma himself. She pictured Genma's face, but found she no longer felt quite as annoyed with her potential father-in-law. Next she pictured Ryoga's face, but banished the image out of concern that she might be setting him up as too much of a bogeyman, which some future opponent could use against her. Shampoo's face likewise she decided against. After a few more moments of thought, and the clearing of Lotion's throat behind her, Akane remembered the book of Joketsuzoku laws she had once seen in Shampoo's hands.

With no further hesitation, Akane pictured that book floating within the tree, focused her chi, and punched. The trunk shattered, wood splinters flying in all directions. "Timberrr!" Akane shouted moments before the tree came crashing down.

"Good!" Lotion exclaimed. "Again!"

The elder watched very carefully as one tree after another was brought down. She noted Akane's obliviousness to one crucial aspect of this exercise, and spotted Ranma's growing worry as he realized it as well. Lotion knew that she had to be prepared to move very quickly, but if what she suspected were true ...

One massive tree hung poised for a moment, and then fell straight toward Akane. The young woman hesitated for a fraction of a second, staring at it in disbelief.

"Akane!" Ranma shouted. In a blur of speed he had jumped up from his sitting position, leaped across the clearing, grabbed Akane and dove out of the way. Lotion, moving just as fast but a fraction behind, landed right beside him. The tree crashed to the ground harmlessly.

"What were you thinking, just standing there!" Ranma shouted into the hair of the girl he was cradling in his arms. "You could've been flattened!"

"S-sorry," Akane said. "I didn't expect it to fall on me."

"You should've!" Ranma was practically beside himself. "No matter what you're doing, you've always gotta think ..."

He stopped as a staff inserted itself under his chin, turning his face to look into Lotion's wrinkled expression. "No doubt she has learned a lesson from this," the old woman said, "which is after all the purpose of training, is it not? I was prepared to save her myself, if necessary. Furthermore, if you were paying attention, Akane's muscles were already tensing to jump aside. Probably too late to avoid a broken leg, but I don't think she would have been killed."

Ranma nodded shakily and drew in a deep breath. He relaxed as he let it out. "Sorry. That scared me. I think I flashed back for a moment to when ... never mind." He hugged Akane tighter.

Akane was already recovering from the brief scare, but was happy to take the opportunity to snuggle in closer. She felt incredibly safe in Ranma's arms. She knew it wouldn't last - all too soon, Lotion would remind them to move apart - so she wanted to make the most of it while she could. For a dizzying moment Akane imagined her future together with Ranma, and images Jade had described flashed through her mind. Suddenly overheated, Akane started pushing away to stand up, worried that someone might guess the trend of her thoughts.

Lotion watched as Ranma reluctantly released the girl, but displays of affection between the two were not her current concern. Settling a very stern expression on her face, the elder demanded, "Now. Would you kindly tell me how you managed that?" She used her staff to tap the weights on his wrists and ankles, confirming at the same time that they were still charged.

"Oh. Crap." Ranma said. He looked up at her with a shaky grin. "Uh, adrenalin?"

"As you yourself just said, boy, crap. Don't try to play me for a fool."

Ranma sighed, reaching a hand up to scratch the back of his head and fiddle with his pigtail. "Well, they _are_ damned heavy. But I guess I'm pretty strong. Pop used to train me by putting weights on my arms and legs too. I reckon he worked his way up to about half the weight of these."

He raised an arm up in front of his face, examining the weight on his wrist carefully. "I gotta say, I like these a lot better. They're not nearly as bulky as what pop strapped onto me."

"We didn't put them on you for a training exercise!" Lotion sputtered. "I set them to twice as much weight as we use for the most advanced training! You were supposed to be barely able to shuffle around!"

Ranma shrugged. "Sorry." He didn't sound sorry at all.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with you?" Lotion demanded.

The young man looked up at her, feigning a look of childish innocence. "Lemme go?" he suggested hopefully.

Akane broke into a snigger. She turned her back and forced a simulated cough to mask the sound. Lotion glared at the girl's back before returning her attention to Ranma.

The old woman ground out, "You allowed me to bring you out here guarded by a force I wouldn't dare consider sufficient to hold you if you were not seriously impeded, only to discover that you are not nearly so restrained as I thought! Are they at least preventing you from using chi attacks?"

Ranma looked her in the eye for several long seconds. Making up his mind, he straightened out one arm in the other direction. In a cold, clear voice he called, "Moko Takabisha!" A glowing ball flew from his hand and crashed through a tree trunk.

The boy winced. "Hurts though. And that's about as big as I can manage." He consoled his conscience with his father's oft expressed belief that bending the truth wasn't exactly the same as lying.

Lotion was staring at him stupefied. "You're not supposed to be able to achieve that much," she said quietly. She lifted her eyes and studied the sky for a while. Finally she said, more normally, "One can almost see Cologne's point of view ..."

Ranma interrupted. "Don't you start now!"

The elder shook her head. "No. If anything I am only more determined. I do not see any hope of forcing you into our mold, and you represent a danger to us otherwise. Not to the villagers themselves, necessarily, but to our culture. Our way of life. I do not want you to remain among us."

"Good," Ranma stated forcefully. "Glad we can agree on that. I just wish you could get the other old biddies to see it."

"You really _do_ need to learn how to be more respectful," Lotion said with a smile, "though I seem to remember my own grandmother saying that to me when I was your age. And for your information, many of the elders do see it. The others have allowed themselves to be temporarily blinded by greed. They are only human, after all."

"Is there anything more we can do?" Akane asked.

"Only what we've been doing," Lotion told her. "Try to have you win the tournament. And I'm already training you about as hard as I can, barring this little excursion."

"What do you mean, barring it?" Akane grumbled. "You made me walk a mile along a mountain trail on my hands!"

Lotion waved a hand in the air. "Details, details." Her expression turned serious again as she looked at Ranma. "The question still remains, what am I to do with you? Will you give me your word that you will make no attempt to escape, and that you will remain circumspect in your behavior?"

Ranma returned her look with an expression just as serious. "Only up to the point where they try to make me marry someone other than Akane. After that, all bets are off."

Lotion nodded, certain that she wouldn't get any more from him than that. "Then if you two are sufficiently rested, I think we should be on our way." She raised her voice. "Coral, run back and tell the guards behind us that we're moving out."

Just as they started on the trail a dark cloud crossed over the mountain peak above them. It poured rain down for about fifteen minutes, thoroughly drenching everyone, and then moved on. A red-haired girl looked up in resignation and whispered, "I guess that's my welcome back to Jusenkyo."

A couple of hours later they stepped through a pass and gazed down on the valley of Jusenkyo. Ranma and Akane paused, each reflecting on their own memories of this place. Konatsu took the time to study it as well. After a few minutes Lotion prodded them and they continued forward.

It wasn't long before they were met by a stout Chinese man who came up the trail toward them. "Welcome to Jusenkyo Valley," he said to them in Chinese. "To what do I owe the honor of a visit from the Joketsuzoku?"

The guards parted to let Ranma and his companions step forward. The guide recognized Ranma and Akane instantly and switched to Japanese, addressing Ranma. "Ah, Mister Customer. I see you unable to use the water of the Nanniichuan."

"No," Ranma said, looking down at his ample bosom. "I'd say that's pretty obvious. I'd like to talk to you about it."

The man deflated a little. "Of course. If honored customers would come this way? Please do not go near pools." He repeated this warning in Chinese.

A short time later, Ranma, Akane, Konatsu, Lotion and a couple of their guards were crowded into a small house with the guide. His daughter Plum was also there and began pouring drinks for everyone, firing questions at Ranma and Akane all the while, asking about their wedding, saying how sorry she was when they told her what happened, wanting to know what they were doing here. Finally, after everyone was served, her father cut her off.

"What brings Mister Customer back to Jusenkyo?"

"A couple of things," Ranma said. "Lotion here tells me that I can't use the Nanniichuan to cure myself. That Jusenkyo won't let me."

"Honored elder speak truth," the man replied. "Magic of Jusenkyo resist any attempt to cure. Harder you try, harder it stop you. But one day it free you. Then cure work."

"So then why," Ranma asked, voice twisting in agony, "why did you send me the Nanniichuan water? Did you just want to wreck our wedding?"

The guide shook his head. "No. I think it maybe work. Think what you did! Jusenkyo was dried up. You fought under mountain to return water. You restore water of Jusenkyo. You do more for Jusenkyo than any man before. I think maybe it free you. But water was mixed, could not use. As soon as it safe, I gather water and send to you for cure. But I was wrong. You not freed yet. Jusenkyo not ready to let you go."

"Then what the hell is it waiting for?" Ranma asked. It was practically a whine.

The guide shrugged. "I not know. Jusenkyo not tell me. Can only wait and hope."

"For how long?" Ranma whispered.

The man in front of him sighed, not liking the answer he had to give. "If what you already do not enough, then guess you must wait same as others. Maybe twenty, thirty year."

Ranma closed his eyes in pain. Akane reached over and took his hand in a firm grip. Leaning closer, she whispered only for his ear, "I'll always love you. With your curse, or without it. Always."

Ranma squeezed her hand back. Opening his eyes again he cleared his throat and asked, "Why didn't you tell me any of this before? You could've explained on the day I got the curse."

The guide shook his head. "Customers not want to hear cannot have cure. Have tried to explain before. Customers get angry, threaten if not tell where pool is. If tell, ignore warnings and try use pool. Always fall in other, end up with worse curse. Think best not to explain."

Ranma didn't really have an answer to this. It was all to easy to imagine his father doing exactly that, ignoring the warnings and trying to cure himself. Possibly even trying to throw his son in. Ranma shuddered at the thought of what could have happened if his pop had made such an attempt.

"Is there any way to know when I can be cured?" Ranma asked quietly. "When the day finally comes?"

The guide regarded him sympathetically. "No way be certain except try. But some others who cured, they say Jusenkyo send dream. Dream that feel very real. In dream they go into pool, come out cured."

"So, I guess I start waiting for a dream." Ranma smiled artificially. "Not what I wanted to hear, but I guess it's what I expected." He paused thoughtfully. "No, that's a lie. I had myself convinced that I'd come here, and you'd tell me that I'd been told wrong. That there really was some simple way I could be cured. I shoulda known I was just fooling myself." Akane squeezed his hand again, wishing she dared to hug him in front of all of these people.

"Ah, anything else you haven't told me?" Ranma inquired quietly in the silence that followed.

"Many things," the guide answered him. "Jusenkyo have many secrets. Nothing else Mister Customer should know now. Oh, maybe one thing."

He turned his eye on Akane, inspecting her curiously, before saying, "Miss Customer remember she make new spring? Water used by Kiima of Phoenix tribe?"

"I'm not likely to forget," Akane told him bitterly. "I nearly drowned."

The guide nodded. "Is very curious thing. When Jusenkyo recover and water no longer mixed, new pool gone. I look carefully. It not there."

Akane stared at him blankly for a moment before saying, "Oh. Um, that's good to know." In fact, the more she thought about it, it _was_ good to know. "I'm, uh, happy to hear that there won't be any more copies of me walking around. I'm unhappy enough about Kiima."

He shook his head. "Kiima no more look like Miss Customer. She come back one, no two month ago. Bathe in Nyanniichuan. Restore old curse. Say she like be tall."

Akane snorted. "Hmpph. I think I'm insulted. Still, I'm glad to hear she doesn't turn into my identical twin any more. Anything else we should know?"

"No. That everything."

Ranma looked at the guide searchingly, but the eyes looking back at him revealed nothing. With a sigh, he gave up and turned to look at the person on the opposite side of him from Akane. "I guess it's your turn, Konatsu."

The person who was currently the only male in the party, although not dressed in a way to make this obvious, cleared his throat. The guide gave the boy his attention, waiting patiently.

Konatsu cleared his throat again, nervous at being the center of attention. He began quietly. "I first met Ranma-sama some months ago. When he had some trouble with my family. I was raised to think that I was female, and was very shocked when he made me understand that I am really a boy."

The guide's eyes had already lightened, guessing where this was going. He motioned for the young man to continue.

"When I learned of Ranma-sama's curse I was ... fascinated by it. I have thought about it much in the months since then. When I followed him to China, I could not help but wonder if I might come near here. It did not seem likely at first, but, clearly, I am now here." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I think you know why."

"You want bathe in spring of drowned girl," the man replied easily.

"Yes," Konatsu whispered. He cleared his throat and spoke a little louder. "I have given it a great deal of thought. I have spoken with Ranma-sama about it, and learned from him what it means to have such a curse. I know this is not a decision to make lightly, but I promise you, it has not been made lightly."

He spread his arms, inviting them to look at him. "This is a boy's body, but it is not a boy within it. No amount of knowing that I am male can change what I truly know myself to be, deep down. I want my body to match who I am. Please."

The guide's voice was firm when he spoke. "I show Mister Customer spring, but he give himself to judgment of Jusenkyo. Magic may not allow, may force into other pool. Person who bathe in spring must take chance he not get water he want."

Konatsu closed his eyes, debating with himself after this new revelation. He certainly didn't want to end up as a rabbit, or a fox, or any of a hundred other possibilities. He knew that the danger was very real. He could sense it. It was almost as if the magic of the valley were already gathering around him, weighing him, judging him. A sense of peace seemed to settle over him.

"I understand," he said quietly. "I will try."

"Then Mister Customer follow me." The guide stood up and left the hut, his daughter walking at his side. Konatsu followed behind. The others emerged into the sunlight, but held back, staying near the house. Ranma, Akane and even Lotion had all been here before, yet none of them were eager to give the magic of Jusenkyo another crack at them.

All eyes watched as the trio carefully stepped around several springs, approaching one in particular. They stopped at its edge. The spectators could not hear whatever words were murmured. Konatsu stood very still for a minute, then he stepped forward and sank out of sight.

"He did it," Ranma whispered to Akane. "He really went and did it."

"We have to believe it was what was right for him," Akane whispered back. "It was his decision. He's the only one who can know if it was the right one."

It seemed like a lifetime, but less than half a minute passed before a head broke the surface of the water. Konatsu climbed onto the bank, wringing water out of her clothes. The three people made their way back just as slowly and carefully as they had walked in. A moment later a dripping wet and smiling Konatsu stood before them.

"I don't know why I didn't think to take my clothes off first," she said to them. "Or even better, wear a swimsuit under my clothes. I'd be a lot more comfortable now."

Ranma and Akane examined her closely. "Are you sure it worked?" Akane asked hesitantly. "You look pretty much the same, and your voice doesn't really sound any different either. Um ..."

Konatsu laughed. "Trust me, it worked." She looked at her chest. "I guess nature hasn't gifted me to the degree it did Ranma-sama, but I'm not entirely flat under my shirt. And I've already checked, um, further down. I can guarantee that this body is female."

Her smile grew at this final statement, lighting up her face. "I am whole now. I am who I was meant to be. Thank you, Ranma-sama, Akane-sama." She bowed to them, then turned to the Chinese man and bowed again. "Thank you, honorable guide."

Then she turned some more, facing away from all of them. Looking out over the pools of the valley. She bowed once more, in the direction of the springs. "Thank you, Jusenkyo. For your blessing."

It must have been his imagination, but Ranma could almost swear he sensed a response from the valley. Like a return bow. Shaking his head to dispel the fantasy, he turned his feet toward the trail. It was time to go.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Chapter 8 is on the way, in which Lotion completes Akane's training. The tournament itself will start in chapter 9.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	8. Final Preparations

**Fighting Chance  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Cologne and Shampoo trick Ranma into following Akane to China, but Akane is fast on the trail. Will she be able to defeat overwhelming odds to save Ranma? Who will win her happy ending in the greatest catfight ever?

* * *

**Chapter 8. Final Preparations**

The palace of the Musk king had several rooms and terraces commanding magnificent views of the valley far below. Mousse, seeking refuge from the Musk and his fellow Amazons both, found one such terrace which could be reached only through a door at the base of a lonely tower. He sat on the wall at the far edge of that terrace, legs dangling over the side, staring down the mountainside. Staring, but seeing nothing of the view before him. In his mind's eye, all he could see was Shampoo's face as she had appeared at their last meeting. Her words echoed in his ears. "You disgust me ... You are dead to me ... Your shadow is never to cross my shadow ..." Waking and sleeping, the memory was a constant torment, the scene playing over and over again even in his dreams.

Should he have ignored his intellect after all? Refused to help the others rescue Ranma?

No. In this matter at least he could see more clearly than Shampoo.

If she succeeded, if she married Ranma, it was bound to end in disaster. His rival would hate Shampoo for forcing him into the marriage, and his beloved would eventually grow bitter at her husband's failure to love and obey her. The situation would slowly escalate until one day ...

It was madness.

That was the only possible word. Sheer madness. Cologne and the elders who supported her had not witnessed Ranma's battle under Jusendo mountain. They had no idea what they faced if the Japanese boy ever fully ceased holding back against them. Mousse had no illusions about Ranma's invulnerability, he knew that the elders could, and would, kill him if it proved necessary. But the destruction which might occur before they understood they must take that step did not bear thinking about. For all their flaws, Mousse still cared for his home and most of the people who lived there.

That very caring raised a larger question. Would he return with the others? Or would he leave forever? Never to see his home again would be unbearable. To live there and see Shampoo daily, knowing that he was dead to her, that her eyes would never take notice of him again, that was equally unbearable. There was no doubt that Shampoo would follow through on her pronouncement. She was proud, as only one of the Joketsuzoku could be, and would not break a vow.

"You seem to be very far away," a voice spoke suddenly from right behind him.

Mousse jumped, very nearly falling off of the wall and taking the long tumble down the side of the mountain. But even as he began to slip, he twisted and threw himself over the wall to land, on his feet, upon the terrace. He slowly stood erect to find Meifen standing there, one eyebrow raised, her mouth curved upward slightly.

"Deep in thought, were you?" she asked playfully.

The young man tried to scowl, but his heart wasn't really in it. He answered her seriously with a slight, formal bow. "Yes. I have much to think on."

He hoped she would take the hint and leave.

Uninvited, Meifen climbed up and sat on the wall not far from him. She cocked her head and inquired, wryly, "Shampoo?"

Mousse turned his face out toward the valley, his expression betraying nothing. "I believe that is my concern."

She turned to look in the same direction. "I suppose so, though it's not like it isn't pretty obvious. Everyone knew how you felt about Shampoo. Everyone knows what she did, at the end. Are you thinking about staying here, in this place?"

The boy shuddered. Her question showed that she saw more clearly into his mood than was comfortable, but suggesting he might wish to stay with the Musk? "No. Not here. Not ... no." After a pause, reluctantly, he added, "I was thinking about returning to Japan. To make a life for myself there."

"I can't see you being happy in Japan."

Mousse shrugged. "I doubt that I will ever be happy again, no matter where I am. But some places would hold less pain than others."

Meifen suggested thoughtfully. "You were always one of the strongest and most skilled fighters among our males, despite the handicap of your eyesight. For you to leave would be a loss to our people."

After a pause to digest this, he replied, "I do not truly wish to go. But I do not see how I can bear to stay. To see her every day, to never again be a part of her life, not even to have her scorn. She was always the center of my life. The pillar on which my foundation rested. I have lost my center, I have no balance."

Meifen blinked. "That's very poetic." She then turned sarcastic. "Also very stupid. Pillars are usually placed on top of foundations. More importantly, Shampoo is only a person. A better fighter than most. A good warrior to have at your back. A bit too proud. Hard to live with at times. She is not your center, she is your obsession."

She turned and looked directly at him. As if drawn by something, Mousse slowly turned and his gaze was caught by her eyes. When Meifen spoke, her words were weighted, implacable. "You are Mousse of the Joketsuzoku. Your foundation rests on the bedrock of our mountain, you need no other support for it. You have been in battles the likes of which are made into tales. Your accomplishments, your skill, could in time make you one of the more honored members of our tribe, even as a male. To take all of that away from us, because one warrior, however skilled, cannot see it, is ... is ... idiotic!"

Mousse smiled at her speech, but there was bitterness at the bottom of it. "Fine words. Do you really think you can change how I feel? Do you think the pain can be dismissed so easily?"

She pursed her lips before answering. "So easily? No. But time will ease the pain. I think you know that. You just don't want to think about it. Because it hurts in its own way, doesn't it, to realize that you will get over this?"

Mousse looked down and closed his eyes. He tried to shut out her words. He wanted to believe that his pain was boundless, unending. That time would never make it easier to bear. Such was the only fitting possibility for the love which was as boundless and eternal as the pain which had replaced it. If the pain were to grow less, that would imply that his love for Shampoo had been finite after all. Mousse began to cast about desperately for something else on which his mind could dwell, eventually returning to something the girl had said earlier.

"What do you know of the battles I've been in?" The question was asked calmly, revealing nothing of the emotions roiling him within.

Meifen regarded him carefully for a minute, then chose to answer his question. "Not much, truly. Only the little that you or Shampoo have let slip. I would like to hear more. Would you tell me?"

Since it seemed a much safer subject than the one on which they had been speaking, Mousse decided to oblige her request. He turned his attention inward, speaking introspectively. "Well, the first time after I left the village was a simple challenge to Saotome. I didn't realize that the old mummy had subjected him to the Full Body Cat's Tongue, so I thought he was mocking me by fighting the match disguised as a girl. ..."

* * *

"That's enough for now. Take a breather," Lotion called out.

The current training exercise was taking place atop a wide wall, with poles held across the top of the wall by assistants and moved at random so as to inconvenience both Akane and her current opponent. At Lotion's word the two fighters sank gratefully into sitting postures, although neither made any move to jump down. The others released the poles which they held, setting them on the ground before moving away to stand together in a couple of small groups. Konatsu, in female form, joined one of these groups, talking animatedly.

Ranma shuffled over to lean against the wall next to Akane. The young woman nodded her head in Konatsu's direction and remarked, "She seems pretty cheerful. Do you think she's going to be all right?"

Ranma let his gaze rest on the ninja. "I think so." His reply was hesitant, thoughtful. "I see more of him, her, than you do. She had a bad spell after dinner last night, after you left. Worrying about how Ukyo is gonna react. I ain't good at that sort of thing. I did what I could to calm him down. Dammit, I mean her."

Akane gave him a gentle smile. "You'd think with your curse you'd have an easier time keeping the pronouns straight."

He shook his head. "Harder, if anything. I _know_ that she was originally a boy, that his ... her body is female now because of magic. I know it from the inside. And since I always think of myself as a guy, it's hard for me not to do the same with Konatsu."

Akane nodded to show that this made sense to her. "We certainly warned her enough and tried to make her think hard about her decision. It's a little late now to be having second thoughts about how Ukyo is going to take it."

Ranma frowned in thought. "I don't think she's regretting her decision. She knew it was gonna be hard in a lot of ways. She knew she might be throwing away any chance she ever had with Ukyo. I don't think she's wishing she hadn't done it. But she's still adjusting. There were bound to be rough patches. More to come, probably."

The young woman at his side regarded him with raised eyebrows. "You seem remarkably insightful today."

Ranma looked down, studying his feet. "It's 'cause of my curse. You think I ain't ever thought about it? What it'd be like if I was forced to live as a girl? After getting stuck that way twice already? Yeah, I've thought about it. The idea terrifies me. I can't really understand it from Konatsu's point of view, wanting the curse, but I get some of what she's going through."

"Do you think Ukyo will give Konatsu a chance?" Akane asked worriedly. "Now that she can't have you? I'm not so sure ..." She bit her lip. "I mean, Ukyo was willing to marry you despite your curse, but at least you think of yourself as a boy. Konatsu doesn't. I'm not sure Ukyo would be willing to, uh, ..." She broke off helplessly, red-faced.

Ranma smiled. "What? Pair up with another girl?" He sighed, and looked off into the distance. "I doubt it. Like you said, I'm always a guy, despite the curse. I think Konatsu knows it ain't too likely. She knew it before she went to Jusenkyo. But she did it anyway. She seemed to think it was the right thing for her. After all, who knows if Ukyo would have ever fallen for Konatsu even if he'd stayed a guy?"

"I know." Akane sighed. "I guess I don't really understand Konatsu's decision either. I mean, she seems to, uh, like girls."

Ranma's eyebrows rose up behind his bangs. "Now I _know_ you ain't _that_ naive. Just because Konatsu's, how d'ya say, a girl at heart, don't mean she can't be attracted to girls. As pretty as you are, I wouldn't be surprised if you've caused one or two hearts to flutter inside of girls who lean in that direction."

Akane's face turned beet red. "Th-that's none of your business." She turned a scathing look on him, and decided to see what the gander thought of the sauce. "Have you ever thought that there are boys out there who think you look hot as a guy?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. One or two of 'em have even dropped hints. Kinda made me squirm, but mostly I just made it clear I wasn't interested. Truth is, they were a lot more polite about it than the girls, usually."

"Oh," she responded in a small voice, slightly shocked that her macho fiancé could speak about such a thing so nonchalantly. Then she asked, "Usually?"

Now Ranma did squirm. "Eh. There was one time when I was, I dunno, thirteen or so. An older guy, fifteen, sixteen maybe, tried to persuade me. I beat the crap out of him."

This did shock Akane. "He didn't try to ... to ..."

"Force me?" Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow. "Naw, I didn't mean that. He was just way too pushy. Wouldn't leave me alone after I made it clear I wasn't interested. I decided I had to convince him, and pop hadn't exactly tutored me in more civilized ways of convincing people of things."

Ranma turned his eyes back to Konatsu, who was smiling at something one of the guards had said. "Anyway. I think Konatsu will be all right. I hope she will. Nothing much to be done about it either way, except give her a shoulder to cry on if she needs it."

"I suppose so," Akane said, dissatisfied. "I'll make sure she knows I'm there for her too, if she needs me." A smirk grew on her face and her voice was lighter as she went on, "It has been kind of funny watching some of the girls here after they found out."

Ranma grinned as well. "You mean the ones who were trying to talk him into challenging 'em, so they could marry him?" He hooted. "Yeah, their expressions have been hilarious." His voice became an artificial falsetto. "You, you turned into a girl?!" With that he broke out laughing and slapped his knee.

"Now, now, have a little compassion for the poor things," Akane told him as sternly as she could manage, struggling not to join him in laughing. "Having their hopes dashed like that."

"Ah, sorry," he said, wiping at an eye. "It's just, there was one right after breakfast this morning. You shoulda seen the look on her face. I had to run off so I didn't laugh right in front of her."

A short distance away, Lotion was watching the boy's merriment. Seeing his eye on Konatsu, she made a shrewd guess as to what he and Akane were discussing. The sight of the two of them getting on so well touched a deeply buried romantic corner of her mind, a part of her that she was usually forced to keep firmly entombed under cold calculations regarding what was best for her people. She clung to the faint hope that on this occasion her machinations would bring about a result which could also satisfy that romantic urge.

"So old woman, what's next?"

Lotion spun and rapped the man over the head with her staff. "Show a little respect, Genma Saotome. I could always stuff you back in that cell again."

He shrugged, unrepentant, and resisted rubbing the sore spot on his scalp. "I'm still interested in knowing what's next on your training agenda."

Lotion pointed with her staff to the wall on which Akane was still sitting, conversing casually with Ranma. "The girl did superbly at the last exercise. Indeed, she has excellent skills, for her age, at anything involving direct combat. Though admittedly she will be facing opponents with equally excellent skills." She turned and pointed her staff at a forested area down in a valley behind them. "I plan to work on her situational awareness next. We'll go down among the trees and attack her there. The poor lines of sight will make it hard for her to see what's coming. She'll need to keep all of her senses as alert as possible."

Genma nodded. "This is why you had everyone wear dark clothing today. So no betraying flashes of bright color would make it easier."

The old woman merely said, "Of course."

After thinking about it for a few minutes, Genma said firmly, "I would like to participate."

Lotion snorted. "Feel free. But the weights would likely make your attempts feeble at best."

He crossed his arms, fixing her with his gaze. "That is why I would like you to remove some of the weight from them. Temporarily."

The elder cocked her head. "And why should I do that?"

Genma held his arms out, drawing the eye to the leather bound contraptions on his wrists. "I never asked you to remove all of the weight. Just enough so I can fight reasonably well against Akane-kun. That would still make it difficult for me to fight off your older guards, at least, not to mention yourself. My boy would still be bound. I doubt we could escape, and even if we made the attempt and began successfully, I'm sure you would be able to run us down and drag us back easily enough. It would even give you an excuse to lock me up again."

Lotion smiled wryly. "I don't really need an excuse, you know." She thought about it a bit more, then motioned him closer. "Don't make me regret this," she said, as she touched her staff to each of his wrists and ankles.

Genma watched the procedure intently. When she was done he smiled, throwing a few punches and kicks to test his mobility. There was still considerable weight present, but it felt similar to what he had endured and been expected to fight with during his own training. Satisfied, he turned and gave Lotion a bow.

The elder did not trouble herself to return the bow. She called everyone over to gather around her, and explained the nature of the next exercise. Akane merely looked eager. The entire group trooped down the slope and entered the forest. Lotion's old voice called out loudly to begin.

The activity proved more difficult than Akane had expected. She had to keep an eye out for uneven ground, roots and vines to maintain her footing. She had to watch for brambles and branches which would snag her. People flitted through the trees around her, not always attacking. Sometimes such a person was merely a distraction, while someone unnoticed attacked from another direction.

Genma, Konatsu, and even Ranma, were in the thick of it, all of them showing off supernatural skill for sneakiness. Nonetheless, Akane slowly started learning to differentiate between distractions and the things to which she needed to pay attention. Fewer strikes were getting through.

Just as she was starting to feel more confident, a heavy weight struck Akane's back, knocking her from her feet. She rolled and leaped up again, yelling at Genma, "Hey! What are you doing? You jumped out of a _tree_ at me!"

From out of nowhere Lotion struck Akane with her staff. "Don't let your guard down! And don't whine! No one said he couldn't climb a tree."

"But I ... I just ..." Akane took a deep breath. "Sorry." She suddenly ducked a flying kick from Konatsu, and spun from her low position to sweep the feet out from under one of the guards. Akane trotted off so as to keep herself a moving target.

The workout continued through the afternoon. An hour into it Akane was only half successful in blocking an attack from Ranma, and they both rolled down a short slope into a stream. Ranma emerged as a girl and both were soaked. The attacks continued, and Akane's clothes slowly dried, but remained damp due to sweat.

Akane ducked between a couple of trees, finding herself in a small clearing. Her eyebrows lifted at the sight, as did the corners of her mouth. It would be harder for anyone to sneak up on her here.

She suddenly folded over a blow to her gut. On hands and knees, Akane looked up, wheezing, to see Ranma's father staring down at her implacably. It was certainly only her imagination which suggested that there was a glint of concern deep in his eyes.

"How? There was no one ..." Realization dawned. Akane struggled to her knees, yelling, "You _cheater_! You used the umisen-ken!"

Ranma entered the clearing at this point, just as Genma replied, "So?"

Akane was practically incoherent. "That ... that ... that wasn't ... you weren't supposed ... that ... I was expecting _ordinary_ attacks!"

Ranma frowned. He looked up to see Lotion approaching and asked, "Could my pop and I have a private word with Akane for a few minutes?"

The old woman regarded him carefully for a moment before nodding. A wave of her hand signaled everyone else to stay back. She bowed and retreated herself.

Ranma strolled over and sank to the ground, facing Akane. "Now what are you talking about, 'ordinary' attacks?"

The young woman had managed to regain her breath by this point. She pointed a shaky finger at Genma. "He used the umisen-ken to hide from me. He knew I wouldn't be able to see him. That's cheating."

Her red-haired fiancé frowned again. Genma sat seiza in front of Akane, his expression very serious. In a calm, hard voice he said, "Look at me girl."

Akane turned her face to him, her expression mulish. Genma held her eye, his own expression unwavering, until she began to look less certain.

"You are supposed to be a student of Anything Goes," he finally said. Akane drew back as if she'd been slapped. Genma continued speaking, "You have been taught that any tool may be used, at any time. Our school is not concerned with artificial contests in which one fights according to rules as to what blows are or are not allowed. We are solely focused on winning. No matter the odds. No matter what it takes."

Ranma added his own voice. "You've got to keep your mind open to every possibility. You don't just fight with your hands and feet. You make use of _everything_ around you. And you got to expect your opponents to do the same."

"But how am I supposed to defend myself against an opponent I can't even tell is there?" Akane complained. "It isn't fair!"

"You're right," Genma told her. "It isn't fair. Which doesn't matter at all. A loser who complains that a fight wasn't fair is still a loser."

"Akane," Ranma said quietly, "you're a real martial artist, right?" She nodded forcefully in answer. He went on, "Do you think real martial arts is just about fighting in a gym somewhere, for a trophy? Was it fair when I fought Ryoga after his breaking point training and discovered I couldn't hurt him? Was it fair when Herb fought me with chi attacks which could have cut me apart? Was it fair when Saffron tried to use a magical weapon to burn me alive? Like pop said, arguing about what's fair gets you nowhere. No matter what someone does, you always got to find a way to win."

Akane lowered her eyes, thinking hard about what she was hearing.

Genma spoke again. "In a few days, you're going to be standing on that log, and the fights are going to be real. You have to win, no matter what it takes. You can't be thinking just about strike, block and counter-strike. You have to be ready for anything, and you need to be ready to seize any advantage you can! Leastways, that's what you'd do if you're really one of the heirs of Anything Goes."

Akane sucked in an angry breath, but choked off any retort, as the sense behind their words settled into her bones. "I'll win." Her voice was cold, hard, determined. "I promise you. _Whatever_ it takes."

"Good." Genma's nod was sharp. "I trust you've had enough time to relax? Time then to get back to work. I don't expect to hear the word 'fair' from you again."

Ranma's hand on Akane's elbow helped her to stand. "You won't," she spat, irritated. She suddenly turned toward Ranma, grabbed him by his pigtail, then pulled him forward and kissed him defiantly on the lips. "Let's get back to work," she called loudly, running off into the trees once more.

* * *

A small parade slowly made its way along the trail toward the Joketsuzoku village. The envoy, Mousse, Meifen and the other two girls of the Joketsuzoku were present of course. As were Prince Herb, his wife Jasmine, and his two lackeys Mint and Lime. Plus several servants and considerable baggage. They were due to arrive the evening before the tournament, assuming no unexpected delays.

After observing the trouble caused by the behavior of Lime and Mint on the journey to Japan, together with the complication of his own curse, the prince had talked his father into allowing a degree of contact between males and females. At least on some levels. Thus his wife was not kept strictly out of sight of his male followers, and the servants included a few females to see to her needs.

All the same, Herb had given a great deal of thought to the potential for incidents when his subjects entered a village where women were warriors. He had sat them down and given them a long speech, describing in gruesome detail the body parts he would remove if any of them caused any trouble. He could only hope they would remember.

On the morning of the day of their expected arrival, while the servants were preparing breakfast, Meifen observed that Mousse was in a state of high agitation. It did not take a genius to figure out why. She resolved to distract him from his thoughts. Meifen walked up with a steady stride and cleared her throat behind him.

Mousse turned, lifting an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Aiming for a bored tone of voice, Meifen said, "It occurred to me as I lay in bed last night that I have not had sufficient opportunities for training on this trip. I would be interested in seeing what you have learned in your journeys in foreign lands. Would you spar with me?"

He was looking through her, not at her. "I am not really in the mood," he replied.

"You also have done little practice these past several days," she pointed out. "If Ranma Saotome were to learn of this after our return, he might well think you have gone soft."

Mousse's eyes narrowed, now looking directly at her. "I assure you, I have not gone soft. If you wish to spar, then we will spar."

Meifen suppressed a smirk and led the boy a short distance away, to a clear patch of level ground. "Shall we?" she inquired mockingly.

Mousse simply stood there giving no sign he had heard her. Meifen frowned. So be it. He would have to defend himself, at least, even if he would not attack first. She launched herself at him.

At the last moment a wooden staff came out of his robes, striking Meifen before she registered its presence. She flew off to the side and landed heavily, though she instantly rolled and came back to her feet. The girl winced and resisted an urge to rub her hip where she had landed. Mousse was standing there, regarding her silently, the staff held loosely in one hand.

Meifen gave a small snarl then ran toward him, feinting a high kick then spinning low for his knees. He jumped over it easily, the staff driving for her back. She continued her spin, her trailing arm sweeping the staff to the side, then leaped into the air, her heel driving for his chin. Mousse leaned backward, avoiding the blow, and the staff came up under her leg to somersault her away. Meifen drove back in, striking with fist, palm, elbow, toe, heel. He blocked each one with infuriating ease.

She finally seized the end of the staff in one hand, and with a blow from her other palm tore the staff out of Mousse's hands. Spinning back around with it, the staff met only air, his head not being where it was supposed to be. He came up from below, his strike taking her hard in the gut, driving the air from her lungs. Meifen dropped and rolled to get herself out of range, panting to regain her breath. As she came back to her feet, her mind's eye replayed the blow which had struck her - had that been a training potty? Her lips drew back to bare her teeth.

The young Chinese woman attacked with renewed vigor. Mousse defended himself, giving the appearance of taking the fight casually without betraying the high degree of concentration he was actually giving to it. Once, twice, three times blows sent Meifen reeling backward. So far the only thing she could claim in return was a slight graze on her opponent's left cheek.

It was very frustrating, but at the same time strangely exhilarating. Meifen had never before fought a male who could outmatch her at martial arts. Despite her impotent fury at being unable to best him, for some reason this duel was making her blood sing in her veins. She struck again, only to have her hand grabbed, and to gasp as she was pulled into a submission hold.

Mousse released her instantly, rather than forcing her to yield. Meifen slowly turned and looked at him, feeling puzzled. She had already known that he was skilled, but this had brought it home to her in a way that nothing else could. The image of the foolish boy stumbling around at Shampoo's heels had been replaced by a rather different view.

"Are you all right?" Mousse asked, concerned.

Meifen shook herself. "Er, yes. I don't get many workouts like that. You're even better than I thought. I hope you stay. That is, I think it would be a great loss if you were to leave us."

Wondering what had gotten into her, phrasing the sentiment like that, Meifen quickly turned and strode back to the camp. Mousse followed after her thoughtfully. His eye could not help but note her graceful and athletic figure moving ahead of him. If only Shampoo had been as willing to think of losing him as a great loss, he thought regretfully.

On reentering the camp, the young man accepted a bowl from one of the servants. The workout had left him hungrier than he had been since before they had left the village for this trip to the Musk. He failed to notice that his earlier depression had lessened as well.

* * *

When the knock came on the guest house door, one of the guards moved to answer it, but she found it necessary to step quickly to one side as Ranma rushed forward to get the door himself. The guard turned to hide an unprofessional smile as he threw open the door to admit Akane, as expected, with Jade right behind in her function as the girl's warden.

"Hi!" Ranma said enthusiastically, smiling broadly. He was overcome with embarrassment almost immediately. His expression turned sheepish and he weakly added, "Uh, figured it was you. They just put dinner on the table. Last meal before the big day, eh?"

"Yeah," Akane said, feeling a little shy. "I'll be glad when it's over."

The reason for her shyness became clear a moment later when Jade announced, "Genma Saotome. Konatsu. Elder Lotion has invited you to join her for dinner and conversation afterward. Coral, please accompany us. As for the rest of you," her eyes swept over the remaining guards. "It's a fine night. You have Lotion's permission to take your meal outside. You are to keep watch over the house, of course."

Mouth gaping, Ranma stared at the door when it closed upon the last of the guards. Finally he managed to stammer, "They're leaving us alone?"

"Seems that way," Akane admitted. She grimaced, thinking that she sounded like a shy girl on her first date. Struggling to sound more practical, she told Ranma, "I was surprised when Lotion gave Jade the instructions. I spent the walk over trying to decide why she did it. I'm pretty sure she knows we aren't about to do anything, uh, _serious_, but I can't figure out what she _is_ up to. Lotion must have some strategy in mind. Maybe just hoping it'll irritate Shampoo? I don't know."

"I ... got no idea," Ranma admitted after a pause. "Oh, no question it's gonna irritate Shampoo like hell. But she already knows we've been having dinner together every night, and all it's done is make her more determined. I can't see it throwing her off her stride in the fights tomorrow. Maybe Lotion wants to tick off Cologne. Those two old crones seem to like getting under each other's skin."

Akane shrugged. "Personally, I don't care what the reason is. My stomach's all knotted up with worry. Think you can distract me?"

Ranma smiled. "I suppose I can try. Like I said, dinner's on the table. Wanna eat?"

Akane nodded, and together they went into the other room and sat at the table. They served themselves and began eating heartily.

"Glad to see you got a good appetite," Ranma said.

"Mmm-hmm," Akane got out through a full mouth. She swallowed with some difficulty, and added, "I was worried I wouldn't want to eat anything, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. In fact, I feel famished. I'm glad there's plenty."

Ranma suppressed his laugh, happy to see her in such a good mood considering what tomorrow might bring. "It was supposed to feed four, including me and pop. I would hope there's plenty."

As Akane chewed on another mouthful, she said, "I was pretty surprised when Prince Herb showed up today. Not to mention that jerk Lime. I wanted to go over and beat him up so bad, but Lotion wouldn't let me!" She ground her teeth for a few moments before continuing. "Was the girl with Herb his wife? The one you told me he was supposed to marry? She certainly is pretty."

"Yeah, her name's Jasmine. Herb introduced me to her. Seemed as proud as if he'd invented the idea of marriage himself. Stuck up little ... Then he had to start needling me about the tournament tomorrow. Saying he couldn't wait to meet my bride."

Akane raised an eyebrow. "What'd you say to that?"

Ranma cleared his throat. "Uh ... told him he'd already met her back in Nerima. That he threw her to me himself, in fact."

Akane blushed deeply and lowered her eyes, remembering how Herb had grabbed her away from Lime then tossed her across the café where she expected to slam into the wall. Only to land in Ranma's arms instead.

Sparing her the embarrassment of responding to this statement, Ranma griped, "I tried to get him back. Said some things to him about how he used to act around girls. Fell kind of flat though. He just smiled this tight little smile and took his wife's hand and kissed it."

"So what else did he say?" Akane asked. "I looked over a little later and saw the two of you standing alone. I guess his wife had gone somewhere. Then you got all red in the face and left."

"Ah ... ah ... that was nothing," Ranma murmured.

Akane gave him a look of smiling disbelief, resting her elbows on the table and her chin on the backs of her hands. "Oh come on, tell! What could he have said to get you that angry?"

Her fiancé concentrated on his plate, playing with the food with his chopsticks. "I wasn't _angry_. I was, uh ... he started giving me advice for my, uh, wedding night. _Explicit_ advice. _Really_ explicit. I ran away like a chicken. Didn't figure out till later that's what he was hoping I'd do. He's trying to get me back for winning our fight."

"Sounds like he's succeeding," Akane laughed.

Ranma just scowled at her. Akane crinkled up her nose at him, then changed the subject. "Mousse looked pretty shocked, didn't you think? When he found out I was in the tournament?"

Ranma, about to take a sip, had to move the cup away from his lips quickly as he snorted helplessly at the memory. "Heh! He sure was. You could almost see the gears spinning in his head as he worked out what must've been going on while he was gone. Meifen looked pretty damned surprised too."

Akane stared at him blankly for a moment, then her gaze grew intense. "Oh? Which one was Meifen? And how do _you_ know her?"

"Ahh ... so, I hadn't mentioned that, huh?" Sweat beaded on the young man's forehead.

Akane shook her head, saying nothing. The look she was giving him said it all.

Ranma sighed heavily, sinking lower in his chair. "Okay. Well. First off, nothing happened. Y'understand? Absolutely nothing."

"Go on." The simple statement was delivered inscrutably, offering no clues what was going on behind her eyes.

Ranma forced himself not to squirm under her steady gaze. "Meifen was the one with the short hair. They used her to lure me here, 'cause they knew they'd have a problem if I heard Cologne and Shampoo were traveling alone. She kept anybody from getting a good look at her face, so the only thing I ever heard was she wore western clothes and had short hair."

"That makes sense," Akane allowed. "What else?"

Ranma studied his fingers as the tips of his chopsticks danced through a complex pattern. "They needed some way to draw me into town on their terms. So they used her as bait. Made it look like they were about to do something ... bad. And o' course I thought it was you. Anyway, it worked. I ran into the cell where they had her, and while I still thought she was you she took me by surprise and drugged me."

He debated leaving it at that point. He didn't want Akane upset with him. However, for some reason he chose not to. Maybe he really was starting to grow up, just a little, because it occurred to him that if he didn't tell her everything, and Akane found out later, she might never believe that nothing had happened.

So Ranma took another deep breath and went on. "She delivered the drug by uh, uh, mouth. I pulled back quick, so she wasn't able to get much of the drug in me. The people watching musta realized that, and didn't want to take any chance I might get out of the cell. So they slammed the door shut, with her on the inside."

"I see," she said judiciously. The young woman, his fiancée, the girl whom he hoped to marry, paused to think this over. Then she asked, "And how long were the two of you in that cell? Alone together?"

This time Ranma did squirm, unable to help himself. "Until I escaped. But like I said, nothing happened! You gotta believe me! I mean, we talked a lot. I got to know her. There wasn't a lot else to do. But I never touched her between the time I tried to carry her out, thinking she was you, and the time I put her to sleep so I could escape."

Akane lowered her head, hiding her eyes behind her bangs. She trembled, her shoulders starting to shake, little whimpering gasps escaping. Ranma felt his heart rise up into his throat, fearing that he might lose her, that she might go into tomorrow's tournament refusing to believe him. Or worse, that she might quit the tournament entirely.

Then he heard the sound she was making. She was chuckling! Ranma's emotions immediately switched over to indignation. How dare she find the situation humorous given how worried he'd been!

Akane shook her head slowly from side to side. She lifted her face, her eyes dry but with a resigned look to them. Her words, when they came, were heavy with feeling, though exactly what feeling he found it hard to say.

"How do you do it? How can one person end up in so _many_ awkward situations? Things that will always show you in the worst possible light? What horrible things could you have possibly done in some past life to deserve such retribution? Ahh ..."

Her voice trailed off, shaking her head once more before lowering her face into her hands. Ranma regarded her with raised eyebrows, feeling even more indignant at the suggestion that it was all somehow his fault anyway. On the other hand, he felt a spark of hope at the same time.

"Does that mean you believe me?" he asked tentatively.

Akane looked up, allowing her lips to lift into a small smile. "Yes, Ranma, I believe you. Surprised?" She paused reflectively. "I suppose maybe you have reason to be. Who knows, maybe I'm growing up."

Ranma quirked up one corner of his mouth. "That's probably all to the good. I mean, given that we're planning to get married. I guess it's time for both of us to grow up."

Lowering her eyes, she whispered, "It's scary. I don't know if I'm ready to be grown up."

Ranma reached out and lifted her chin, making her look him in the eye. He told her carefully, "It scares me, too. But I can't think of anyone I'd rather grow up together with."

He reached around the corner of the table and took her hand in his. Standing up, still holding her hand, he encouraged her to stand and come with him. Together they walked into the next room and sat down together on the couch.

Akane was having trouble meeting his eye, looking down at her lap instead. "Wh-what do you have in mind?" She asked, striving for and mostly achieving an air of sophistication. But her voice was shaky, betraying her emotional state.

"Nothing frightening," Ranma reassured her, his own voice a trifle shaky. "Just to hold you, and, uh, kiss. If you want to. It might even distract you from worrying about tomorrow."

He slipped his arm around her and she leaned into the embrace with a small sigh of pleasure. After a brief pause Ranma leaned over, stopping with his face a short distance in front of Akane's. She held her breath, pulling back slightly with a startled expression on her face. When he made no other move, his eyes solemnly watching her, she relaxed and let out her breath with a small sigh. Akane licked her lips, gave a small nod and leaned in toward him, her eyes closing. Ranma waited until their lips brushed lightly before closing his eyes.

It wasn't their first kiss, but it was the first kiss for which they'd had the leisure to take their time and enjoy it. Knowing that they were alone and no one was likely to interrupt them. Knowing it was what they both wanted.

They took their time, slowly exploring sensations new to them both. From time to time they'd allow their lips to separate to catch their breaths, allowing their foreheads to rest together, or tracing nibbles along the other person's jawline and neck. At one point Akane asked softly, "What was it you were distracting me from?" and Ranma replied dreamily, "Can't remember."

Their hands grew tired of idleness. Neither knew who started it, but light caresses brushed along each others sides, traced the contours of their backs, brushed gently through hair or tugged lightly at a pigtail. Their faces gradually became flushed as their bodies responded, desire rising. Akane found herself subject to dueling emotions, wanting more but at the same time hesitant.

Ranma sensed the hesitation. He pulled back slightly, whispering her name like a caress on her ear.

"Akane." He paused only for a moment. "I think we'd better ... You gotta be focused tomorrow. I don't think we're ready ..."

Akane hugged him tighter. "Thank you," she whispered. "I'm not ready. I don't want to move too fast. I need time, time to get used to the idea that this is okay."

"You and me both," Ranma breathed softly. "I still get visions of being pounded just for trying to kiss you. After all, you're my tomboy fiancée."

She gave a throaty chuckle. "Sometimes I'm not sure whether I want to kiss you or kick you." At his boyish grin, she laughed outright and told him, "Well, I'm not going to kick you. But I'd better not kiss you either. It might just get us started again."

"Probably a good idea," he admitted. "The way we used to act ... we need to take this slowly. I mean ... you know I love you. Right? And I'm _really_ looking forward to marrying you. But I reckon it's a good thing we're not gonna have the wedding right away."

She paused and sighed. "I guess you're right. Neither one of us is going to be ready to be married any time soon. To put it in a martial arts context, neither one of us has any practice at being in a real relationship, and we need months of training before we're ready for the main event."

Ranma's grin changed to a warm smile, thankful that she seemed to understand. That she trusted him not to put pressure on her, and accepted that he needed time as well.

Akane slowly withdrew herself from his arms. She breathed deeply, composing herself, collecting her scattered wits. As she did, she reflected on his words. Twice tonight he'd talked about marrying her. Akane bit her lip nervously.

"What ... what if I don't win tomorrow?" Her voice was almost childlike, seeking reassurance.

Ranma took her hand again, squeezing it. "You're gonna win. Hold on to that. And if you don't, they can't force me to marry someone else. Lotion is right to be scared. They'd have to kill me first. Which kinda defeats the purpose."

Akane's hand squeezed back, a little moisture appearing in her eyes. "I don't want you to die."

He reached out and gently rubbed the salt water away with his thumb. "Well, that makes two of us then. So I guess you've just got to concentrate on winning tomorrow. Right?"

She breathed deeply, reaching for her inner focus. "Right," she said. Then more firmly, "Right." Akane opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Who could have pictured this moment, back when you were first carried into my house across your dad's shoulder?"

Ranma laughed easily. "Not me. I was way too angry with the old man. I'm glad it worked out this way, though. Maybe the panda ain't so stupid after all."

"I've got to go," she said quietly, wishing she could stay. In fact, she was embarrassed to realize that part of her was wishing that she could stay all night.

"I know," Ranma replied, his eyes lidded. Still heavy with wanting her, she realized, her knees suddenly feeling a little weak. "How about I walk you back to your place?" he said, then guided her toward the door without waiting for an answer. They picked up their guards outside, and slowly strolled together under a clear night sky blazing with stars until Ranma gave her a goodnight kiss on the cheek in front of the door and watched her vanish inside. He took a moment to breathe in the scent of flowers on the air, then turned and strolled away, whistling, trailed by his amused guards.

* * *

When Ranma emerged from the guest house in the morning, Shampoo came bounding up, full of energy and excitement. With difficulty she restrained herself from glomping onto him. Recent attempts to do so had made it clear that, ever since their return to the village, he was unwilling to tolerate her more physical attentions. Which raised certain questions for their coming wedding night, but the young Chinese warrior was confident that she could find answers for those questions.

So instead Shampoo clasped her hands behind herself, arching her back slightly and adopting a cute expression copied from shows she had seen on Japanese television. The girls in those shows had, after all, been quite successful in snaring the leading men. It went without saying that no less than the leading man would do for Shampoo.

Struggling with her Japanese, she asked, "Airen cheer Shampoo on, yes? After Shampoo win, you come to house tonight. We celebrate. No need wait for wedding. Shampoo make airen feel too, too good."

Ranma gave her a withering look. Several possible responses ran through his head, but he discarded most of them. What he finally decided on was, "Not a chance. Not even if you win, and you ain't gonna win. The winner's gonna be Akane."

There was a flash of lightning in the depths of Shampoo's eyes, but she kept her voice under control. "Kitchen destroyer weak. She no chance to reach final match. Even if she do, Shampoo win easy. You belong Shampoo, no one else take."

Ranma stared at her coldly. He could vaguely remember a time when he had enjoyed her attentions, on some level. There had been very little affection given to him while he was growing up. He had been all too aware that he did not return the love she outwardly proclaimed, but had hoped they might reach a balance involving friendship. However, anything he had felt along such lines was now dead. His tentative idea in the early days of being friends had slowly been drained of hope, before being mortally wounded at Jusendo when Shampoo had threatened to kill Akane. The death blow had been delivered during the race across China by his continuous nightmares, fearing what she and Cologne might do to Akane.

Shampoo shifted nervously under his cold expression and continuing silence. She flashed back to an image of the easygoing boy she had known in the early days in Nerima, wondering what had become of him. When he finally spoke, the words seemed to come from a stranger, the stern tone of his voice sounding as if it belonged to a much older man.

"On this you have my word, Shampoo of the Joketsuzoku. No matter what the outcome today, _you_ will never have me."

He didn't wait for a response, turning away instantly and marching off with long strides, his guards almost stumbling to keep up. Shampoo stared after him, chewing at her lower lip, finally admitting to herself that they would need to break him almost completely to make him accept his fate. She wondered how much of the boy she had known would be left when they were done.

"Didn't I warn you it would be better not to do that?"

Shampoo jumped into the air with a small screech. She spun around in midair, landing facing the other way with her hand over her heart. "Great-grandmother! Are you trying to kill me before the tournament?"

There was a definite smirk on the old woman's face. "Just making sure you don't start brooding. Now is not the time. You knew it would be necessary to ... use strict measures to convince him. Stop thinking about it, and focus on winning the fights today."

The teenage girl nodded. "I am focused. I promise."

"Another thing," the elder went on, sternly. "Why were you saying those things about Akane Tendo? About how easily you could win?"

"I ... uh ..."

Cologne's staff rapped her on the head. "If you are going to use insults, you should have some reason for it. The only person within hearing was son-in-law, and I don't know what you hoped to gain by insulting the Tendo girl to his face at this time. Which means you did it thoughtlessly. Which means you are at least halfway to believing your own insults. Which is an abysmally _stupid_ thing to do regarding a skilled opponent whom you might soon face on the challenge log."

Still rubbing her head, Shampoo said petulantly. "Akane _doesn't_ have any real chance against me. If I face her, I'm going to fight hard and fast. I won't try to play with her. I'm just going to take her out and win."

The ancient woman, survivor of uncounted battles, fought not to slap sense into the girl. Shampoo needed to be confident and uninjured for what was coming. All the same ... "Listen to me. Listen carefully. You have the advantage. That is _all_ you have. Assume nothing. Assume that you will be in for the fight of your life. If not, well and good, but if so, you _must_ be ready. The people who have been training her recently are very, very good. And I assure you that _she_ will be fighting as hard as she can."

Shampoo bowed her head. "I will remember your words, respected elder."

"See that you do!" Cologne snapped. Her voice softened. "Come on. Let's go. I'd like to see son-in-law's face when he takes his seat for the contest."

* * *

On his way toward the fairground, Ranma swung aside to pass near Jade's house. He was in time to see Akane come out of the house with Lotion beside her. The pair of them paused on seeing him.

"Ranma ..." Akane began, throat closing up. She was feeling very nervous.

Lotion eyed him warily. "This isn't the best time, young man."

Ranma ignored the elder, stepping up close to the woman he loved. "Akane, I got faith in you. I know you can do this. Win this thing, for both of us." He took her hand in his, turned it palm up, and pressed a piece of cloth into it with his other hand. "Remember, you're doing this for us."

He turned and walked away, leaving Akane speechless behind him. She slowly unfolded the strip of white cloth in her hand, revealing a headband. Silently she traced a finger along the image in the center, black on white. Where in the world had he found such a thing? She looked back up, eyes shining, facing the direction he had gone. Slowly her hands lifted and tied the cloth around her head.

She stood there for a moment, facing down the road at the other end of which lay the challenge log and her destiny. A breeze ruffled through her hair, pulling at the ends of the headband which dangled at the back of her head. A look of determination was on her features, with no sign of the nervousness from earlier. She was Akane Tendo, heir of the Musabetsu Kakuto Tendo Ryu, partner by mutual choice of Ranma Saotome. This was her day, and no obstacle was going to stand in her path.

"Let's do this," she announced, her words ringing of drawn steel.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Stay tuned for chapter 9, when the tournament finally begins.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	9. Tournament Morning

**Fighting Chance  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Cologne and Shampoo trick Ranma into following Akane to China, but Akane is fast on the trail. When the Amazons choose to fight for Ranma, will Akane be able to defeat overwhelming odds to save him? Will Akane or Shampoo be the one to win her happy ending?

* * *

**Chapter 9. Tournament - Morning**

There were already a lot of people milling around the fairground when Ranma and his guards arrived. The crowd parted smoothly to let him through, everyone looking curiously upon one of the central players in this day's drama. Before Ranma the challenge log loomed, ominous, almost threatening, awaking bitter memories. This was, after all, the site of his first defeat of Shampoo, which had led inexorably to where he now stood.

Two elders moved forward to meet him, stepping beside him, one to his left and one to his right. In silence they escorted him around to the other side of the log. There he saw Prince Herb and his wife Jasmine, standing at the front of the spectators, separated from the villagers by the presence of Mint and Lime. The latter pair were perhaps intended to emphasize the importance of the couple in front of them, but if so, the effect was spoiled somewhat by the way they craned their necks around, gawking at everyone and everything.

However, Ranma gave no more than a passing nod to the Musk, ignoring Herb's beaming smile and return nod. His attention was entirely taken by the chair sitting at the prince's right hand. It was practically a throne, and on a sign atop the back were written words in Chinese which he was now able to easily recognize. Words proclaiming that here sat the "First Prize."

Ranma stopped in front of the seat. Nodding toward the sign, he said, "I bet somebody got a real kick out of that."

One of the elders stated dourly, "It is nothing more nor less than the truth."

The young man's mouth lifted at one corner. "Just so long as no wandering martial artists stumble into the village today, ignore the sign, and try to take me by mistake."

The other elder struggled not to grin. The first, utterly humorless, just pointed with her staff and said, "Sit. You will watch the matches from there."

Ranma shrugged before he turned and sat. "At least it means I won't have to stand all day to watch the duels like everyone else."

The two elders lifted the ends of their staves and touched them to the chair. A feeling like a spark of electricity shot through Ranma.

"What the hell!" he yelped, jumping out of the seat. Or rather not jumping out of the seat. Much to his surprise, Ranma found he could not lift his body from the chair.

"Peace," the second elder, the one with the sense of humor, suggested soothingly to the struggling young man. "The purpose is to remove the temptation to do anything rashly impulsive, to reassure everyone that you will not interfere with the battles. It does not imprison you or prevent you from acting in an emergency.

The other older laughed sarcastically. "It would hardly serve to imprison you. To escape, you would only need to smash the chair, a task easily within your capabilities. In the meantime, it should provide a comfortable seat."

As the words penetrated, Ranma eased his efforts and examined the chair more carefully. A quick blow knocked a chip off the outer portion of one arm. Satisfied that they might well be speaking the truth, Ranma asked himself if he _really_ wanted to stand for the entire tournament like everyone else. After a little thought he decided to accept the confinement, at least until the end. If things didn't go the way he wished, it might be smart to get out immediately. For now, he sat back and relaxed.

Genma walked up with an exaggerated shuffle to stand at Ranma's right side. The boy looked up, noting that his father was back in human form. A pitcher of juice had split open in the man's hands during breakfast, resulting in a considerable mess, which included a very sticky panda. Ranma had taken off at that point, leaving his father and Konatsu to deal with the consequences, calling back that he had to see Akane before the match.

Trying to take his mind off the nervousness he had last seen in Akane's eyes, Ranma asked, "Where's Konatsu, pop? Isn't she with you?"

The man replied gruffly, "He's going to stay over in the area where the contestants are gathered. He thought someone ought to keep an eye on your fiancée."

Ranma's nose wrinkled, annoyed at his father's refusal to give in on the matter of the pronouns. "She, pop."

Genma grunted, but didn't bother to say anything. Ranma turned his attention back to the suspended log, wondering how much longer he'd have to wait for the contest to start.

Herb leaned in from Ranma's other side. "Are you looking forward to this, Saotome? Eager to see which of the Joketsuzoku will be your bride? Just think, you get to spend the rest of your life here. I must admit, I never expected you to end up such a close neighbor."

Ranma shook his head, speaking without acrimony. "I won't be sticking around. I already told you, Akane and me, we're gonna be heading back to Japan, after she wins."

Herb smiled knowingly. "The odds are not in her favor."

His wife placed a hand on the prince's arm. "That will do, my fierce dragon."

Ranma lifted an eyebrow at Herb, who looked away, his face turning red. The prince growled a whisper to his wife out of the corner of his mouth, "I told you not to call me that outside our private quarters."

Jasmine smiled, a twinkle in her eye. "My apologies. Nonetheless, I suggest that you leave your, ah, old acquaintance in peace. His tension from the coming duels and their uncertain outcome should be enough to satisfy your desire for vengeance. If you rouse his anger, it will only provide a distraction from his misery."

Herb lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "You are quite right, most cherished wife. Thank you." With that he fell silent.

Ranma tried to keep a grimace off of his face, the weight of truth in the woman's words striking him hard. He had known this would be hard, watching Akane fight for both of them, no holds barred, facing injury, he unable to help her in any way. But he'd been trying not to think about it. Oh well, he could probably goad his father into an exchange of insults, if nothing better came along to take his mind off his worries.

* * *

The contestants and their sponsors were gathering in one section of the field on the opposite side of the log from Ranma. Akane and Lotion strolled up to join them, an air of confidence surrounding the young Japanese challenger, her earlier attack of nerves forgotten thanks to Ranma's gift. None of the girls greeted Akane, and she felt the intensity of their scrutiny. Most just gave Akane a long look, out of simple curiosity for the stranger in their midst who had roiled the deliberations of their elders. Some looked at her with displeasure, particularly those who were aware of the amount of time Ranma had been spending with her. Even so, only a few of the looks contained unmasked hatred.

Shampoo was already present, but gave the Japanese girl no more than a dismissive glance. She kept her feelings carefully hidden, deeming it more important to present her own aura of confidence, a refusal to regard anyone here as a threat. All the same, she moved to put some distance between herself and Akane, to avoid any temptation to insults which others might incorrectly interpret as nervousness.

Cologne, on the other hand, took in the sight of the headband Akane wore and sucked in air with an audible hiss. She flicked her gaze to the side rapidly to see what impression it made upon her great-granddaughter, and saw with relief that the girl seemed blissfully unaware. Which was no surprise, really, given Shampoo's weakness in the Japanese language.

The elder continued her own study of the headband. White cloth, but with a black image of a rearing stallion blazoned on the front. For anyone with the wit to make the connection to the boy's name, Akane might as well be shouting her claim from a mountaintop. Even worse, Cologne felt certain the girl would not wear such a thing unless it had come as a gift from Ranma's own hand. Which in turn made its own statement, not that the boy had been particularly subtle lately in showing where his desire lay.

The old woman's eye passed over the other contestants, who seemed as unaware as Shampoo. She stroked her chin consideringly. On the whole Cologne thought it just as well that few of the girls were sufficiently fluent in Japanese, or else not observant enough, to decipher the hidden meaning. A tournament like this was well nigh a sacred event to her people, and it would not do to have it disturbed by harsh words or quarreling. Except atop the log, of course.

In contrast to the youngsters, a few of the older women were pursing their lips in mild irritation when they caught sight of Akane. The elder frowned for a different reason as she took note of how few of those present, even among the older generations, had spotted the significance of that headband. When you came down to it, it was not a good thing for so many of her people, especially the elders, to overlook subtle clues in the behavior of outsiders. She put the thought aside to mull over at some later time.

As she walked over to give Shampoo a few final words of advice, Cologne noted irritably that she herself was feeling nervous. This day would either see the culmination of all of her hopes, or a failure which would render meaningless her efforts of the last two years. The elder had confidence in Shampoo, but time and again her frustrating son-in-law had shown the folly of counting on anything where he was concerned. After speaking with her heir, Cologne pulled out her pipe, lit it, and allowed the smoke to soothe her. She had done all that she could, the matter was out of her hands now.

Akane watched the first six matches dispassionately. There were no surprises, no hidden customs or rules of which she had not been warned. Each fight was straightforward, an exchange of blows which ended with someone tumbling to the ground. One girl was clearly dazed, taking some time to stand back up and walk off. Another was bleeding freely from a cut on her scalp. The winners did not gloat unduly. The losers did not protest their fate, at least not out loud.

Then it was Akane's turn. She jumped from the ground up onto the log, and her opponent did the same. Akane caught a glimpse of Ranma out of the corner of her eye, sitting on a throne between his father and Prince Herb. Her knowledge of Chinese was now sufficient to interpret the sign indicating that he was the first prize. She controlled her smirk with difficulty and instead focused her attention on the girl at the other end of the log.

This girl had black hair pulled back into a severe braid which hung halfway down her back. She was dressed in some sort of tunic and pants, both of a light tan color. In her hands she held a staff, twirling it very slowly while waiting for the signal. This was in direct contrast to Akane's own unarmed state.

The judge standing below the log called out "Begin!" in Chinese. The two young women moved toward each other fluidly, both wary. The staff jabbed forward toward Akane's abdomen. She bent her body at an angle taking her gut just out of reach of the end of the pole, then grabbed it. Instead of pulling the staff toward her, or even pushing it back, Akane let herself drop, grounding her end of the pole against the log. Using that as a fulcrum she swung the staff to the side. The other girl didn't release her hold quickly enough and, pulled off balance, toppled off the side. Just like that it was over, and the judge declared Akane the winner. She jumped back down to the ground with a covert sigh of relief. The grueling training Akane had endured served to keep her from any temptation to wonder if all of the matches would be that easy.

Three duels later it was Shampoo's turn. The girl against whom she faced off appeared to be very nervous. It ended seconds later when Shampoo ducked under the first swing, and sent her opponent flying with a single blow from her chui.

It took a couple of hours to complete the first round. The second round started immediately, with no break in the action. On the other hand, the initial matches all paired girls who had competed early in the first round, all of whom had recovered by that time. When Akane's name was called, she found herself looking down the length of the log at one of the girls she had been warned about, one of the best fighters her age in the village. Perfume, or Perfume Junior as Lotion referred to her. She was a granddaughter of elder Perfume. Like Akane, she had chosen to fight unarmed.

At the call to "Begin" the two girls moved together carefully and started to exchange blows. At first every thwack that rang out was the result of a punch or kick being blocked. Eventually a kick slipped past Akane's guard, catching her in the lower ribs. She stumbled backward slightly, but didn't lose her balance, successfully blocking the followup attack.

A few seconds later she returned the favor. Perfume moved to block a kick which turned out to be a feint, leaving her just exposed enough for Akane to land a hard punch on her shoulder. The blow spun the other girl, and she took herself out of range by flipping backward to a handstand and then back to her feet. Akane stayed with her but was unable to capitalize.

In the following minutes each of them got some more blows through, neither of them gaining an advantage thereby. It was looking as if the victory would go to whoever proved to have the greater endurance, as both women were starting to show small signs of fatigue. Perfume dared a flying kick, forcing Akane to roll backward. She almost rolled off of the log but barely caught herself, springing back to her feet and taking a numbing strike on her left arm from a poorly judged block.

Akane did not allow herself to feel frightened or worried, but could not deny a sense of frazzlement. The longer this went on, the more it was going to come down to a matter of luck, to which of them was the first to make a decisive mistake from exhaustion. What she wanted was some way to break the stalemate.

At that moment Akane was pushed to the side by a soft impact from a kick that she mostly dodged. She could have recovered easily, but in an instant came up with a different plan. It was risky, but she didn't have time to think about that, or she might not have made the attempt.

Instead of recovering her balance, Akane continued to fall to the side. Perfume planted one foot on the log and swept out a roundhouse kick with the other to guarantee the fall, but Akane was dropping even faster than expected. The kick brushed through her hair without contacting skin. While falling to the side Akane was also careful to fall forward, toward her opponent's feet. Just as she was going over the side of the log, passing the point of no return, she suddenly reached out and snagged one of Perfume's ankles, the one belonging to the foot whose toes were still pressed to the surface of the log.

Akane's falling weight pulled Perfume's leg out from under her. The other girl fell helplessly off the opposite side of the log, flailing her arms. Using Perfume's weight as a pivot, Akane just barely managed to swing herself back up onto the log. Perfume desperately scrabbled with her hands against the side and bottom of the log as she dove headfirst toward the ground. There was nothing to grasp, however, and she was forced to flip herself around and land feet first on the ground.

Akane wearily smiled as the judge declared her the winner. She pushed herself up from her prone position and jumped down to the ground, not far from her recent opponent. Then reaction to the risk she had taken finally struck. One tremor passed over her before Akane firmly suppressed any further outward show. Perfume raised an eyebrow to indicate her own opinion of the chance her opponent had taken, gave a heavy sigh, then bowed slightly in Akane's direction to acknowledge the victory. As soon as Akane returned the bow the Chinese girl turned and marched off.

Another person loomed up suddenly, forcing Akane to step aside in order to avoid a collision. Shampoo gave a ghost of a smirk before jumping up to the log for her own match. Akane scowled while stepping back to watch the duel. Shampoo's opponent was a girl whom Lotion had pointed out as being "fairly good" - not in the top four, but at least in the top dozen. This girl carried a pair of chui as well and seemed to know what she was doing with them. Akane watched the pair carefully as the judge told them to begin.

The girl put up more of a fight than Shampoo's first opponent, but not by much. She was clearly on the defensive, forced to give ground as she backed up along the length of the log. When her foot touched the ropes tied to one end of the log she knew she couldn't go much further and drove forward with an attack. There was a harsh clang as the pairs of chui met, and Shampoo gave a twist which caused her adversary to lean much too far to one side.

As the weapons disengaged the girl gave a curse and made a desperate grab for the rope, dropping one of her chui in the attempt. Her fingertips just brushed her target but were unable to gain purchase. With another curse she fell to the side, did a midair somersault, and landed on her feet on the ground. When Shampoo landed beside her, the young woman gave a bow then spun and began to stomp off. She caught herself after three steps, took a deep breath, then walked off more slowly.

As she walked off the field Shampoo passed close to Akane. The teenage Amazon allowed herself to give the Japanese girl a grin which suggested that this was no more than an amusing diversion, one whose outcome was in no doubt. Akane managed to keep herself under control, her face set in stone, betraying nothing of what she felt. Inside, she was wondering how she would oppose the deadly skill with which Shampoo wielded her maces.

Sitting in his chair, Ranma's heartbeat was finally slowing from the way it had raced in reaction to the conclusion of Akane's match. He had not been fooled by her plunge, realizing even as he watched that Akane was doing it deliberately, that she must have some plan. However, he had also recognized how impetuous her decision had been, how much risk had been involved. If her opponent had been a hair faster in moving her foot out of the way, nothing would have stopped Akane from falling to the ground and being eliminated from the tournament. Part of him wanted to march right up to her and point out how crazy it had been. Only two things held him back - first, that he couldn't get out of the chair, and second, that she could easily counter with even crazier ideas that he had occasionally come up with on the spur of the moment.

Still, regardless of the means, they were now midway through the second round and Akane was still in the running. Shampoo also, but that had been expected. It was Akane who was the focus of his worries, fears and hopes.

Ranma had known this was going to be hard, but he had never realized just how much of a torture it would be. He found himself praying to any god who would listen to keep an eye on his Akane. The young man wished desperately that he could take part in the fights himself, promising over and over to _never_ again let himself get into a situation where he wasn't in control of his own destiny. Not that he truly believed, deep down, he would be able to keep that promise. Goodness knew he had never wielded much control over his destiny before.

On Ranma's left, Herb flicked a quick glance at his erstwhile enemy sitting on the throne, the boy who sat there waiting to see who would claim the prize - himself. Although Herb would never admit it, his amusement over the whole affair was ebbing, and he found himself feeling an unaccustomed sympathy. Ranma was trying to watch the matches stoically, but having fought him, Herb could read the truth hidden within the grim set of his features.

It had quickly become evident to Herb that Ranma was going through hell. This contest would determine the Japanese boy's fate, and he was unable to fight anyone or in any other way take part in deciding the outcome. All he could do was sit and watch. Herb had come here hoping to get some small sense of revenge for his loss at Horaisan. That desire was unexpectedly gone, and all he could do now was to stand here and watch, feeling an increasing wish to have the matter ended.

Jasmine leaned in close to her husband and whispered, "My people have a saying. The true pleasure of revenge is in its contemplation, not its achievement."

The young prince of the Musk sighed, then turned to look at his wife, his lips twisted wryly in acknowledgment of how clearly she could see into his soul. It was uncanny at times. He nodded once, saying nothing, then turned his attention back to the fights.

On Ranma's other side, his father Genma merely looked bored. No one watching him from the outside guessed at the emotions seething within the man. While he felt that Akane's chances of reaching the final round were fairly decent, he reckoned her odds of winning it all at only about one in ten. Which was far better odds than many of the people here would give her, he knew, but was nonetheless not very optimistic.

The man took another look at the weights he still wore for show, and cursed himself once more for not teaching his son how to remove them. He had reached the decision that so long as Akane still had some chance of winning, it was better not to reveal this knowledge to Ranma. To keep the boy from being tempted to make a break before the tournament, so that if Akane did win Ranma would feel obligated to go through with the marriage. But now that the time had come, now that he was actually watching the fights, Genma was developing a severe case of heartburn due to suddenly doubting himself. He couldn't shake the conviction that he had made a serious miscalculation.

He knew that his son wasn't stupid. He should have trusted Ranma with the knowledge, trusted that he would react sensibly. Instead he had talked around it last night, how if things didn't go their way that Ranma should not attack immediately, that he should play along until that night. Genma had figured he would sneak out after dark, find Ranma, remove the weights, and then they would all escape. Simple, no?

Stupid, that's what it was. The look in Ranma's eyes had said as much, although he hadn't said anything against it. Genma realized now that he had blinded himself, told himself that his son was only opposed because he didn't know his father would be able to remove the weights. Standing there now, facing the reality that things would likely play out that way, Genma could now admit it wouldn't be anywhere near that simple. If Akane lost, if Ranma were forced to face the immediate prospect of marrying someone else, especially if it were Shampoo, the guard on him would be multiplied enormously. He would probably be put in a cell again, perhaps restrained by other magical means. Reaching his son, let alone breaking him out and all of them escaping, would be vastly harder than he had persuaded himself to believe.

And that was assuming that Ranma behaved peacefully until nightfall. As if. The moment these Amazons tried to lock him up under the threat of marrying another, the boy would almost certainly explode in violent attack, regardless of anything his father had suggested to him. At which point Genma would have to decide whether to reveal his mobility, assist his son's attack in the hope of getting the boy's weights off, hope that they could survive, somehow, hope that Akane could also survive while they did battle, hope that they could get away, intact and healthy enough to run.

Hopeless.

So all he could do was stand there and watch. Pray that Akane somehow managed to pull it off, that she would emerge victorious. Promise himself to trust his son in future, while admitting with bitter humor how unlikely he was to keep such a promise. Most of all, Genma wished that the acid burning in his gut would accept the fact that Akane's chances were considerably better than zero, and that there was no point in giving him an ulcer while the possibility of success remained.

The fights went on.

As yet another contestant struck the ground heavily, Meifen wondered where Mousse had taken himself off to. She could understand that he would not want to watch the tournament, given that the most likely outcome was that Shampoo would win Ranma as her husband. At the same time, she was worried that he might take this opportunity of everyone's distraction to run off, to leave his people forever. That thought bothered her considerably. There were already too few men among her people who were willing to be strong, let alone any as handsome as Mousse.

‹Uh, handsome?› she wondered in silence. ‹Where did _that_ thought come from?› Not that it wasn't true, Meifen admitted to herself, but it wasn't like her to pay attention to such things.

The object of her thoughts was a considerable distance away, sitting atop one of the roofs. With his weak eyesight, Mousse couldn't have seen the contests very clearly from up close anyway. All alone as he was, he could sacrifice his pride and use binoculars to watch. Their magnification was sufficient to allow him to make out the fights fairly well.

Even as he watched intently, the young Chinese martial artist could not understand why he was tormenting himself so. If there was one thing he did not want to see, it was the moment when Shampoo finally claimed Saotome as her husband. Nonetheless, he felt compelled to look, to know what was happening. He also silently cheered on Akane Tendo, although like Genma Saotome he felt that her chance of ultimate victory was small, dependent on Shampoo making some careless mistake which would eliminate her before the end.

Everyone watched eagerly as the fights for the third round were conducted. Both Akane and Shampoo sailed through easily to victory in their matches. After the round was completed, the judge announced that they would break for an hour and a half while everyone ate lunch, and when they resumed, they would take half hour breaks between the shorter rounds throughout the afternoon. The spectators looked forward to those rounds eagerly, now that the field had been reduced to some of the best of the participating warriors.

* * *

Worry about the heartbroken Mousse effectively killed any appetite Meifen might have had. Not that she really feared what he might do. It was the uncertainty, that was all. She decide to use the lunch break to search for the male martial artist. Meifen eliminated the fairground itself even before the break was called. He wasn't at his house, nor in the temporary dojo. A walk through the town gave no clues and she was beginning to wonder if he had indeed left, and whether she should break into his home to determine if he had, in fact, packed up and left. Before doing that, however, there was one more thing she wanted to check. Meifen grabbed a pair of binoculars and climbed halfway up the mountain on the west side of the village, to a ledge which provided a good overview.

Scanning the village below with the binoculars, it didn't take Meifen long to spot Mousse sitting on a rooftop. The peak of the roof was between him and the fairground, and he was sitting with his back to it, arms resting on his knees. Why he was sitting there like that was a mystery, but at least he hadn't run off. Meifen made her way back down the mountainside thoughtfully, then headed toward the building on which she had seen him.

Mousse heard the scrape of a foot on the street below him, so was able to school himself in time to display no reaction when the person jumped up and landed on the roof at his side. He felt remote puzzlement when it proved to be Meifen. He had no idea why she would be here. His puzzlement grew considerably when she merely sat down beside him, without a word. The silence between them slowly lengthened into minutes.

Eventually his curiosity got the better of him. He gruffly asked, "And your reason for interrupting my solitude would be ...?"

Meifen shrugged, since she wasn't entirely certain herself.

"You can leave at any time you know," Mousse said in a voice which sounded polite and respectful, even if the words were not.

She shrugged again, pursing her lips in thought, then returned to his previous question. "I didn't really expect to see you at the tournament, but then I got to wondering whether you might have taken the opportunity to slip away. While everyone's attention was elsewhere." She glanced sideways at him. "I'm glad to see you didn't." She paused again for a moment, before continuing. "Anyway, when I spotted you, well, I was a bit confused about why. That is, what you were doing up here. So I thought I'd come ask."

"But you didn't ask. You didn't say anything."

She looked off into the distance. "I know. You look ... um, it seemed like you didn't want anyone to bother you. But I was still curious, and since I was already here, I figured I might as well stay. I thought if I stuck around, maybe you'd decide you wanted to talk after all."

Mousse snorted. "I guess it worked, then." He sighed. "Still, why should I explain myself to you? Why is it important to know what I am about?"

Meifen took her time to think this through, trying to come up with a satisfactory answer. "I don't know that it's important in any grand scheme of things. I guess ... it's important to me because I care. During the trip, I got to know a little about you, and I think you're too good a man to, hmm, to let you just shut yourself off from us. We need men like you. There are too few like you, men who aren't intimidated by the elders, who are willing to be strong."

Mousse shook his head. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but the elders do intimidate me."

Meifen smiled. "Okay, yes, I suppose that's true." She paused briefly. "I didn't really mean that in an absolute sense. You're not reckless. But you're also not completely overwhelmed by their authority. You're willing to make your own decisions, even if you think they'll be displeased. You're willing to be seen as a warrior. There are other men like you among us, but you can't deny that they're a minority, and all the others I can think of are already married."

Mousse raised an eyebrow, his eyes meeting hers. "And I'm not married. Is that what this is about?" He smiled sadly, shaking his head, his eyes never leaving hers. More gently he said, "Shampoo owned my heart. Then she crushed it. I'm not sure that I have a heart left to give to anyone."

Meifen's eyes opened wide. "I ... I ..." she stammered, not knowing what word was to come next. What the hell _was_ she saying? What was going on in the depths of her subconscious that she would phrase her thoughts in such a way?

The young woman couldn't force herself to look away from his eyes. Those eyes which were still gazing at her with such sympathy. Those dark eyes, magnified by the thick lenses he wore. His face framed by the long fall of ebony hair. He was, quite simply, beautiful, but it was a beauty that the girls of her generation had long since learned to ignore because of the way he followed Shampoo around like a lovesick puppy. Because they knew that no matter how much Shampoo might spurn his love, she would be quick to make her displeasure known if she found herself no longer the center of his attention.

Yet Shampoo herself had now cast Mousse aside in the most absolute way possible, short of death. She had made it impossible for him to follow at her heels any longer. Eyes still locked with his, Meifen found thoughts going through her head which she had never allowed herself before.

Meifen was no fool, and had little patience with self deception. Her father had been an outsider, and unlike most of the other girls, she had traveled beyond the borders of their village on numerous occasions. She had considerable experience in evaluating people's behavior, and now found that experience turning upon herself.

Everything she had said to Mousse about himself was true. He was a worthy man, an asset to their people. A strong, skilled fighter, better than most of the warriors of their generation. Good enough to defeat her, in fact. Her mind flashed back to the exhilaration she had felt that time they had sparred. Strong, skilled _and_ handsome. His poor eyesight was a disadvantage, but she rather liked the effect his glasses had on the appearance of his eyes.

Meifen finally broke contact with his eyes, looking down at the roof tiles while she collected her thoughts. When she had them in some semblance of order she started speaking slowly. "I apologize if I have made you uncomfortable. That was not my intention. I understand how you felt about ... about the one who spurned you, and that you are far from ready to feel that way about anyone now. But if you would allow it, I would like to be your friend. Perhaps together we can try to find what has been left of your heart. I think you have been too long without a true friend."

She paused, swallowed, then added, "So, um, how about it?"

The young woman finally lifted her eyes to meet his again. Mousse stared back, not knowing what to say at first. Friends? He could not remember ever having any. The other children his age had always thought him a fool. But as he looked upon Meifen he realized that she meant it, that her offer was honest. He was aware that she was thinking more might come of it, but now was not the time for such thoughts. For now, she had offered him a lifeline, a connection to their people and the life he knew, when he had feared that all such connections were severed.

"I ... would be willing to consider it," he got out at last.

Meifen smiled. "So, what _were_ you doing up here?"

Mousse held up the binoculars. "Torturing myself. Watching the tournament. I can see it better from here, with these, than I could from the outer ring where I would be forced to stand. And I don't have to worry about people, um, _looking_ at me. You know, when _she_ fights."

Meifen nodded. "I understand." She held up her own binoculars. "I spotted you with these. How about I stay and keep you company, and we watch together?"

After a moment's thought, Mousse gave her a tentative ghost of a smile. "I believe I might like that."

* * *

Servers were moving among the sixteen remaining contestants, providing them with food and drink. These young women were gathered in a group, more or less, but were doing their best to ignore each other, with the exception of one pair of very old friends who were both still in the running. All of the girls spoke intermittently with their mentors and the servers, but mostly they were silent, communing with their own inner thoughts.

‹Four more rounds,› Akane was thinking to herself. ‹I just need to get through four more rounds, and then Ranma will be mine. No one else will come between us again.› She was doing her best to feel confident, but part of her was aware that those who were left were all highly skilled, and all of them wanted to win as well.

A girl reached across a tray held by one of the servers and picked up a second cup in addition to the one she took for herself. She held it out to Akane, offering it with a smile. The Japanese girl took it with an absent-minded "thanks," speaking in Chinese almost automatically, and raised it to her mouth to drink. The cup never reached her lips however, as strong fingers closed around her wrist and held her hand still.

Akane looked to the side in astonishment. "Konatsu, what ...?"

The teenage ninja was dressed as one of the servers, her Japanese nationality barely noticeable, although she was presently female while the other servers were all male. There was a dark expression on her face which Akane identified after a moment as anger. This only served to confuse her more, as Akane had no idea why Konatsu would be angry with her. Slowly the ninja reached out and took the cup from her hand.

"Excuse, Akane-sama, you not drink. Drugged."

The statement was made in half literate Chinese, but the meaning was clear enough. People all around them turned to stare.

Akane shook herself out of the stupor Konatsu's words had wrought upon her. "Are ... are you sure?"

Konatsu nodded sternly. "Yes. Saw. When person hand over cup."

The girl who had given the drink to Akane, one of the contestants who had been eliminated in the first round, felt a sense of panic rise within her. Yet she did not give in to the impulse to run. Where, after all, was she to run to? It wasn't like they didn't know who she was. Instead she went on the attack, spouting fast and furious Chinese.

"Yes, I did! You're an outsider! You don't belong here! You're just a Wokou! You think you can be Joketsuzoku? The idea makes me sick! You ..."

The girl staggered under a blow from Cologne's staff. "That will be quite enough," the elder declared coldly.

Shampoo stepped up and slapped the girl across the face. "How dare you?" she hissed. "I don't need any help to win. You would have tainted my victory! There would always be someone to whisper about what might have happened. I should ..."

"That will be enough from you also, Shampoo," Cologne stated firmly, internally furious over this disruption, and determined not to allow it to worsen. "Thank you, Konatsu," the old woman said to the ninja, who gave her a slight bow in return. "As for you," Cologne remarked frozenly to the stunned girl, "the council will decide what is to be done with you later." She shoved on the girl's abdomen with her staff, pushing her into the hands of two older women, who promptly dragged her off.

"I ... I don't know what to say," Akane said. For some reason, she felt embarrassed. As if she had unexpectedly found herself watching another family's domestic quarrel.

"There really isn't anything that you need to say," Cologne told her, courteously enough. "We will deal with it." She turned and walked a short distance away, pulling Shampoo with her, speaking to the girl rapidly under her breath.

When Cologne went off to deal with something else, Shampoo walked slowly over to a fence rail and sat down, reflecting on the lecture she had just been given. Her great-grandmother kept telling her to be more modest, to act as if she believed that the others had a chance, even if it was no more than an act. Shampoo knew that confidence was important. Could it be that this notion of diplomacy really was equally important? That the fact she would need to deal with the other women when running the village in later years meant that she should be careful not to appear too prideful? The idea of needing to convince other people that she was right, rather than simply forcing them to submit, seemed like an awful lot of trouble.

Besides, while she longed for the _status_ of an elder, the work involved sounded so _boring_. Deciding which fields to plant, with what crops. Planning the training regimen for each rank of those learning the way of the warrior. Resolving all of the minor disputes. She thought back to the argument her great-grandmother had been telling her about a couple of nights ago, something about who owned which chickens. Chickens! It was no wonder Cologne had been willing to spend the last couple of years watching over her quest in Japan!

Shampoo knew that her proper function and role in life was to be a warrior. A warrior with a strong man behind her, who would father warrior daughters to follow in her footsteps. But the only purpose of the warrior class in recent years seemed to be for posturing, to convince those around them to leave their village in peace. She _needed_ Ranma as her husband. Together she and Ranma would be a blazing beacon to remind her people who they were. It was not a role she could see any man of her village filling, particularly not that blind fool Mousse.

The young woman frowned. Mousse. Where was he? Why was he not hanging around the edges of the crowd, watching the fights, thinking of how he might curry her favor? Of course, she had shunned him. If he approached her, she would be within her rights to kill him. But that didn't mean she expected him to not be there.

Come to think of it, she hadn't seen him since she had accompanied Cologne to greet Prince Herb of the Musk. As she recalled, he had been standing beside Meifen at the time. Perhaps Meifen would know something. She could at least go and have a casual conversation with the other girl, see if something might emerge. Shampoo set off with a determined step.

* * *

In a house in Nerima, two sisters and their father wondered what trouble the third sister might be in at that moment, and whether she would come home safely to them.

In another house, a woman worried about her son. Now and then she remembered to worry about her husband as well.

In a restaurant in the same city, a young chef took a moment while cooking orders for the lunch crowd to wonder what was going on with the people who had gone to China. In particular, she was surprised to find herself missing her employee, and hoped that the boy was safe and well.

On a farm not much further away, a directionally challenged young man who was busy training with sumo pigs had no idea that his rival was out of the country. He did, however, spare a moment to wonder whether a certain young woman would eventually forgive him.

And in China, Akane Tendo lifted her fingers to her forehead and rested them for a moment on her headband, drawing strength from it as from a talisman. She looked up as her name was called, then marched toward the challenge log. It was time for another match. Time to take one more step on the path to erasing the humiliation she had suffered. Time to fight for the man she loved.

Akane jumped up onto the log.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Just in case it wasn't clear from the context, "Wokou" is a pejorative term for the Japanese, used primarily by Chinese and Koreans.

Stick around for chapter 10, in which we have the second half of the tournament, including the final match to determine the victor.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	10. Tournament Afternoon

**Fighting Chance  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Cologne and Shampoo trick Ranma into following Akane to China, but Akane is fast on the trail. When the Amazons choose to fight for Ranma, will Akane be able to defeat overwhelming odds to save him? Will Akane or Shampoo be the one to win her happy ending?

* * *

**Chapter 10. Tournament - Afternoon**

It had started out as mere curiosity, wondering if Meifen might know where Mousse was to be found and what he had been up to. But when the first match of the fourth round was called, between Akane and another girl, Shampoo still had not located Meifen. Unless she was purposefully avoiding Shampoo, then the girl clearly wasn't anywhere on the fairground at all. Except that made no sense. This tournament was of considerable importance to everyone in the village - why would she be missing it?

The fact that Mousse was nowhere to be found still puzzled her considerably. He should be avidly watching every match in which Shampoo fought. Perhaps she should have asked someone else about him, such as her great-grandmother, instead of wasting time looking for Meifen. Of course, there was no time to do so now. Giving her attention to the matches was far more critical than where Mousse or Meifen might have wandered off.

At that moment Mousse was just wrapping up a story he was telling Meifen. "... Unfortunately, the three of them discovered that I was withholding the special noodle, and stole it from me. Ranma was the one who finally defeated the others and swallowed it. Naturally." The boy managed a small grin. "Then it turned out that all it did was to give him the digestion of a hundred men. Which no doubt helped him with the heaps of those awful tasting noodles he had already eaten, although he looked decidedly unhappy when Shampoo plopped down another heaping bowlful in front of him."

Meifen smiled over the story as she watched a cloud pass over the sun, trying to think of a story of her own worthy to set against his. They had been exchanging small tales of their experiences outside the village, and it seemed to have achieved her aim of taking her companion's mind off his troubles for a while. The young woman rested her chin on her fist and thought. Perhaps the party leader who had insulted her grandmother that time? Or maybe the time she had accidentally stumbled across the swimming hole full of young men, who were all singularly lacking in clothing? She had been young enough and inexperienced enough at the time to be even more embarrassed than they, despite the fact that she was the one fully dressed.

Then she took another, closer look at the sun's position. "Oh hell! Lunch must be over!" She scrambled up to the peak of the roof, and got her binoculars in place. Mousse followed more slowly and settled himself beside her. They both quickly identified the fighters on the log as Akane and Talcum.

Meifen sighed. "She really is pretty good. Akane, I mean. That's kind of depressing, her being an outsider and all."

Mousse replied glumly, "Shampoo is better."

Meifen snorted. "Nobody mentioned Shampoo. _You_ are obsessed. You don't have to bring her up in every conversation."

Mousse only shrugged, a gesture lost on the girl whose eyes were glued to her binoculars.

Shampoo, only a few meters from the log, had a much better view than the pair on the roof, and she observed the combat with a preoccupied air. Her critical eye forced her to acknowledge that Akane Tendo was almost certain to win, although her opponent was making her work for it. She remembered her promise to herself and to Cologne not to underestimate the Japanese girl, to take her seriously as an opponent. She watched Akane's moves carefully, studying her, seeing obvious marks of Lotion's training. However, she felt an ugly, venomous jealousy claw at her upon spotting hints of her airen's style as well.

At that point Akane ducked under a blow and kicked from her low position, sending the other girl sailing backward to bounce off of the log and fall to the ground. The victor, breathing heavily, gave a nod of satisfaction and jumped off the log herself.

So the kitchen destroyer ... no, she had promised to stop reducing her rival to insults. So then, _Akane_ had advanced another round. It was looking more and more as if Fate was going to arrange for the two of them to meet on the challenge log. In a way this felt right. They had been fighting for the last two years over who would marry Ranma, mostly metaphorically but sometimes physically. It was time for one final fight to decide it all. A fight to be witnessed by her airen and all of her people.

Four matches later it was Shampoo's turn on the log, and Akane's turn to watch critically from below, studying Shampoo as she fought. Like Shampoo, Akane also felt that the two of them were destined to face each other this day, to fight some final climactic battle over Ranma.

As she observed Shampoo fighting, chills ran up and down Akane's spine. Her long-time rival was like some deadly machine, her defense impenetrable, her own blows devastating. At the culmination of the match, Shampoo's opponent went flying to land a good twenty meters away, where she lay unmoving until a couple of women picked her up and carried her off.

The next break had arrived. Only three rounds to go. Eight contestants left. Seven of the best this generation of the Joketsuzoku had to offer, plus herself. Akane paced back and forth during the break, trying to shake off nervousness.

She was scheduled for the second match, Shampoo for the third. Akane watched the first match carefully, since she would be facing its winner. Once she won her own duel, of course. Lotion had pointed one of the two fighters out to her, a girl named Mascara, as a particularly dangerous opponent. Mascara was tall and heavily muscled, almost masculine in appearance. Her chosen weapon was a mace, solid and less festive looking than the chui Shampoo favored, which she swung with ease.

The other girl made a valiant effort for several minutes, but was clearly outmatched and lost in the end. As the girl dodged a blow from the mace, Mascara reached out with a foot and neatly tripped her, sending her tumbling off to the side. When the winner jumped to the ground she gave Akane a nod, as if to say that they'd be meeting each other soon. Akane nodded back, trying to appear just as confident.

Akane jumped onto the log to face yet another unarmed challenger. When told to begin, they both moved to within striking distance of one another and then stopped. Waiting. Ready for anything.

They held their poses for ten agonizingly long seconds and then launched simultaneous and furious attacks. Punches and kicks were exchanged and blocked at incredible speed, accompanied by explosive kiya's and grunts as flesh impacted flesh. Akane forced the other girl to duck backward, then a moment later was forced to retreat herself, rolling backward out of reach.

Ranma only became aware that he was crushing the armrests of the chair with his fingers when he heard the wood crack. He didn't look away from the fight above, but did slowly force his fingers to relax. He could swear that he felt each blow that got through Akane's defense, making soft grunts to match her louder ones.

Akane suddenly staggered back, tilting to the side. Ranma tugged forward against the pull of his seat, willing her to regain her footing. She reached out and grabbed the rope, then swung herself around it through space. At the end of her spin, as she came back over the log, Akane straightened her legs out, driving them hard into her opponent's chest. The other girl went flying off the log, bounced on the ground, and landed in Ranma's lap.

Ranma knew his face was turning red as Akane quirked an eyebrow at him from her position atop the log. The mother of the dazed girl rushed over to Ranma and helped her daughter to her feet, supporting her. The two of them swayed off into the crowd and by the time Ranma gazed upward again, Akane had dropped out of sight. He was fairly confident that she wasn't going to blame him for the incident, but he still wished that he could go and talk to her.

Akane was shaking her head in exasperation, reminding herself that she had to have a thick skin about such things. After all, it seemed that Ranma was destined to find himself in such situations, probably for the rest of his life. With one final exhalation she put the matter behind her, and turned to watch Shampoo's bout.

The girl Shampoo fought showed an impressive level of skill. Her twin blades wove in and out between Shampoo's chui, preventing her from closing. Shampoo attacked with a sudden, sharp thrust toward her opponent but the other girl leaped up and somersaulted over Shampoo's head, landing behind her. Shampoo immediately spun around, the two effectively exchanging their positions on the log. The battle continued.

Akane grew increasingly worried as she watched. The girl fighting Shampoo - what was her name? Akane found her mind frustratingly blank. But the girl was fighting with unbelievable speed, faster than Akane knew herself to be. Yet Shampoo was defending easily. As a martial artist, Akane could tell that Shampoo's concentration was tightly focused, that she was not taking her opponent lightly. Yet her manner was one of supreme confidence, keeping the other girl entirely on the defensive, with no indication that there was more than one way for this match to end.

What mistake did the other girl make? Akane couldn't tell, her execution appeared to have been flawless. Yet some mistake there must have been as Shampoo gave a shrill cry of triumph, in itself another attack, and swung hard. The chui came in under the girl's arm, hard and fast, and struck her in the side with a sickening crack. With a howl of anguish she plummeted, only to be caught at the last second by a young man who rushed out of the ring of spectators. On regaining her feet she gave this boy a withering look, pressed her arm to her side, and marched off without a backward glance.

Akane wandered off, her feet failing to trace a straight path. Her mouth was dry and for the first time that day she felt fear rising up to gnaw at her. The person who had just fought Shampoo had been good, very, very good. Strong, fast, and enormously skilled. Akane wasn't at all sure that she could have defeated her. But it hadn't even been close. Shampoo may not have been able to win with a single blow, but everyone watching had been sure of how it would turn out from the moment the duel started.

How could she hope to win? What possible chance was there for her to gain the victory that she and Ranma needed? Living under the same roof as Ranma, Akane had long ago quietly stopped referring to herself as the best. The young woman knew, without false modesty, that she had made enormous strides since the beating Shampoo had given her in Nerima, training under Ranma, uncle Saotome and especially Lotion. But she had learned to be honest with herself, and she felt an inner certainty that she would need several more months training, minimum, in order to have anything like a chance of defeating Shampoo.

The teenage girl squatted by a small sapling on the edge of the fairground, tracing a finger along the bark, not seeing it. She struggled to hold back tears, feeling overwhelmed. It was all suddenly just too much. In the distance a loud exclamation signaled the end of the current round, but this too drew no reaction from her.

As the break started before the second to last round of the tournament, Shampoo decided that she had waited long enough. She strolled over to where Ranma sat and said brightly in Japanese, "So airen, it go well, yes? Soon Shampoo win, we marry. Big wedding, much celebration."

Ranma lowered his eyebrows. Fighting to achieve a mocking tone, he told her, "Shampoo, you don't stand a chance. I guarantee you're going to lose."

Shampoo drew herself up to her full height. "Airen have eyes closed instead of watch? Shampoo win easy. Then you be Shampoo's forever."

Ranma focused his eyes in the distance, ignoring her. Shampoo huffed, then marched off to get some water. Herb took the opportunity to lean closer and said, "She's right, you know. She's certain to win."

Ranma looked up at the man beside him. There had been nothing teasing or sarcastic in his voice, just an honest statement of fact. Ranma decided to answer Herb just as seriously. "Meaning no disrespect, and not to bring up painful memories or nothing, but once upon a time you were certain to win a fight with me." Herb's expression clouded and Ranma winced, seeing it, but went on. "My point is, Akane's trained in the same style as me. She'll find a way to win. No matter what it takes."

Herb straightened back up, crossing his arms. "I suppose we'll find out soon enough," he said coolly.

At that moment the crowd parted and Ranma saw a figure in the distance, sitting beside a small tree. Even as far away as he was, he could sense the air of dejection hanging over her. The gap closed again, hiding her from sight. Ranma looked around wildly, until he spotted Lotion speaking with the convalescent Perfume.

"Hey! Hey, Lotion! Over here!" He waved madly, drawing numerous stares. The elder looked up with a frown, but slowly made her way over to him.

"Yes? What is it boy?" she asked when she was near enough.

"I wanna get out of this chair for a bit. Let me up."

Lotion raised her eyebrows. "Why? What are you up to? We were planning to keep you there until the end of the tournament."

Ranma almost snarled. "If you don't let me up, I'll tear my way out of this thing. There ain't no reason I should have to stay here between bouts. I promise I'll come back before the next round. I'll sit back down without a word of protest."

The elder gave him a long, searching look. In the end she sighed and suggested, more to herself than to him, "I suppose if anyone asks I can tell them you needed to answer a call of nature. Very well." She raised her staff and touched it to the chair. A few seconds later Ranma bounced up, free again.

"Thanks! I'll be back in a bit!" His form wavered, then vanished from sight.

"Wait! What?" Lotion's head whipped around, seeking the boy but not finding him. "Dammit! What was the point of putting those weights on you, anyway? You shouldn't have that much control over your chi!" The old woman wondered if he was even close enough to hear her anymore.

Prince Herb said nothing. The eyes he had inherited from his dragon ancestress followed a bundle of tightly wrapped chi as it made its way across the grounds. As an application of chi it intrigued him, realizing that it would fool the eye of any ordinary person. The young prince of the Musk lost himself in thought working out how to reproduce the process.

Ranma dropped the masking technique of the umisen-ken when he was a couple of meters from Akane. "Hey," he called softly.

Akane looked up. "Hey yourself. Get tired of being on display as the prize?"

Ranma grimaced. "Talked Lotion into letting me stretch my legs for a bit. Mind if I sit?"

Akane motioned to the ground nearby with her hand. Ranma sat in the proffered spot, making sure to keep his back to the mob near the challenge log. After all, he didn't want anyone coming over to interrupt. Ranma regarded his fiancée carefully while thinking over what to say.

Unable to think of anything clever, in the end he simply asked, "So what's up?"

Akane shrugged. "Not much. Just waiting for the next round."

"You don't seem too excited about it. Come on! Just two rounds to go and we'll finally be free of Shampoo forever!" He raised his eyebrows and grinned as he said this, trying to get a reaction.

"I hope so," Akane answered dully.

Ranma sighed. "So why don't you tell me what's wrong. You suddenly having doubts? Why?"

Akane looked past him, in the direction of the challenge log. "I've been watching Shampoo in her fights. Unless I get lucky ..." She turned and looked at him directly. "She's still better than me, isn't she?"

He returned her gaze, not flinching, remaining silent for several long seconds as he tried to find the right words to answer this.

"Yes and no," he finally told her. "You're too hung up on who's faster, who's got the better balance, who can execute the best snap kick. These fights ain't just about that."

He bit his lower lip, looking at the clouds in the sky for inspiration. "Lucky, you said? It's time you learned to make your _own_ luck. What've we been trying to tell you all along? You're a practitioner of Anything Goes. We _always_ find a way to win in the end. It may not be easy. It may not be smart. It may not be sane. But there's always a way."

Akane still looked doubtful. Ranma scooted closer and put a finger under her chin. "Listen to me. Shampoo's better than you on pure technique, yes. And it's gonna take you several more months training, _at least_, to close that gap. But that's the _only_ edge Shampoo has on you. You're smarter. You're more adaptable. You got more imagination. You got an inner fire that totally outshines her. And in the end, those are a _lot_ more important than technique."

He let his hand drop, pleased to see that Akane was drinking in his words, no longer looking so lost. "So I want you to use that inner fire. You use that strength you got inside you. And you win this thing." Ranma reached up and touched the headband. "Don't you ever forget that I'm already yours. All you're doing here today is convincing everyone else. You and me, we already know it."

Akane took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She realized that she had found her center again. When she opened her eyes she gave Ranma a radiant smile and told him, "You've just earned yourself a kiss, buster." With a quick look around to make sure that no one was paying them any attention, she leaned forward and locked her lips to his.

When they separated, Ranma looked blank for a moment before saying, "Whoo! I need to try to remember that speech." He gave her a grin and said, "Are you sure that was for me? 'Cause I think maybe you were just pepping yourself up for the next fight."

Akane gave him a saucy grin of her own. "You can take it any way you like. Now I've got to go; I have a tournament to win. And I think maybe the prize should be getting back in place too."

Ranma wrinkled his nose at her. "Remind me never to be the prize again. It's hell having to just sit on the sidelines, not being part of the fighting myself."

His fiancée widened her eyes at him. "_You're_ telling _me_ that? Try to remember that the next time you're fighting someone over me." She stood then gave him a hand up. With one last look into each other's eyes, Ranma's form wavered and disappeared from her sight. Akane turned her steps toward where the remaining contestants were gathered, her features set in steely determination, and marched forward.

* * *

The judge called out, "Next match, Akane Tendo and Mascara! Challengers take your places!"

The two opponents jumped onto opposite ends of the log. Akane took a moment to study the other woman again. Mascara's mace would not kill her if it made contact, thanks to the breaking point training, but would almost certainly knock her off of the log. At the same time, its momentum would require effort on Mascara's part to keep it under sufficient control so as not to expose herself. Akane was confident that she would be the more mobile of the two of them in the coming fight. Even so she warned herself to be cautious. Mascara had won the previous round not with the mace but with her foot.

With the call to begin they slowly approached one another. Mascara had no intention of lunging heedlessly with her mace, knowing full well the danger of overcommitting herself against an unarmed opponent. In the first few exchanges she didn't use the mace at all, except to block with its handle. She finally swung while Akane was making a high kick, but Akane managed to nimbly twist and bend her legs out of its path, somersaulting backward and landing on her feet once more.

Akane got in the first blow, a glancing punch to Mascara's left wrist which had her backing away for a few seconds while shaking the hand. She recovered quickly, however, and pressed the attack again. Akane tried to kick the mace away, once, after it swept past. Mascara caught her kicking leg with a kick of her own and nearly knocked Akane's feet out from under her. Akane twisted away and had to land on all fours, bouncing back out of range quickly.

Minutes passed, leaving both girls panting. They each took bruising blows, but Akane was getting the worst of it. She couldn't risk taking a single blow from the mace, and several times now feints from it had allowed Mascara to get in serious kicks. Akane had managed to ride them each time, but they were taking their toll. Then a blow from the handle end of the mace struck Akane in the side of the head, bringing a gasp from the crowd. She managed to roll backward, though, and regained her feet in time to force Mascara to jump back to avoid a kick.

There was a momentary pause as the two fatigued girls caught their breath, both of them watching the other carefully, ready to defend themselves instantly. Akane tried to think of some strategy she could use to win this, but nothing immediately occurred to her.

She knew that she had to do something soon. She was growing weary, and sooner or later she'd be too slow to dodge a blow from the mace and that would be it. It was just as well she had conserved her chi in the earlier fights, as Lotion had suggested. If she had been using it to enhance her blows beyond minimal amounts, she would have thoroughly exhausted herself by now.

This thought brought Akane up short as Mascara attacked again and she dodged backward. Conserving her chi wouldn't do her any good if she ended up losing, and she did have some reserves. But what was the best way to use it? Mascara had undergone the breaking point training a couple of years ago. A direct blow against her, even greatly chi enhanced, would by no means guarantee victory.

Akane ducked another thrust from the mace, then tried to kick the arm holding it but missed. Her eyes narrowed, looking upon the mace as it was pulled back, feeling as though she were seeing it for the first time. If her chi powered punch could shatter a rock or a tree, perhaps ...

The plan was complete in her head almost in that instant, simple but effective, and Akane wasted no time putting it into action. She channeled as much chi as she could into her left hand and as the mace swung around from the side, she intentionally dodged too slowly. Had she been able to take time to look, Akane would have seen reactions beginning on the faces of many of the spectators as they realized the mace would not miss this time. But her eyes were on her opponent, and she saw Mascara's lips start to curve up in anticipation of victory.

At the last moment Akane's left hand shot out, with enough force to shatter stone or dent a metal wall. When the solid iron head of the mace struck Akane's palm, it came to a screeching, impossible stop, then bounced back. The unexpected loss of momentum, coupled with the shock which ran up her arm, distracted Mascara for a tenth of a second. It was a tenth of a second she couldn't spare. Akane's foot was already sweeping around at blinding speed, and it struck Mascara in the side like a thunderbolt.

The Chinese girl did her best. She threw her mace into the crowd, causing spectators to dive out of the way. This halted her sideways motion, but it came too late. She was already off the log, far enough that her outstretched fingertips couldn't reach it. Mascara dropped lightly to the ground, where she promptly sank to her knees, eyes closed, trying to cope with the sudden defeat.

Ranma was shouting something but Akane couldn't make it out over the shouts of the rest of the crowd. It might have been something like, "That's my girl!" She didn't have much thought to spare on it, being too busy sucking air into her lungs while wondering if she had the strength to jump down safely. Finally deciding that she'd have to get down before Shampoo's match Akane took the plunge, and somehow managed to stay upright when she hit the ground. As the last moves of the fight replayed themselves in her mind, she examined her hand carefully, reassuring herself that the bones were not pulverized.

As Shampoo strolled past to take her place for her turn, she spoke quietly to Akane in Japanese, "That trick not work on Shampoo. No trick good enough. Shampoo beat like did before."

Akane decided she didn't have the strength to make a retort, so chose to ignore her instead. Mascara finally climbed heavily back to her feet. The two girls stared at each other for several seconds, bitter disappointment in Mascara's eyes and weariness in Akane's. They bowed at the same time, and then the Chinese girl turned and walked away into the crowd.

‹I did it,› Akane thought to herself. ‹I won. Just one more round to go. Uh, ...› She looked heavenward. ‹I don't suppose that anyone would care to answer a prayer that Shampoo make a mistake and lose in this round?› She looked back down and sighed. ‹Not too likely. So ... as soon as this fight ends I get half an hour to rest. Half an hour to come up with a plan to beat Shampoo. I wonder what odds Nabiki would give me?›

The judge's voice called out to begin and Akane looked up just in time to see Shampoo's opponent go flying off the log. Shampoo jumped back down and gave Akane a mocking grin before walking off.

Akane trembled. She reached up and touched fingertips to her forehead, to the image of the stallion. The trembles ceased. ‹There's always a way to win,› she reminded herself, recalling Ranma's words. ‹It may not be easy. It may not be sane. But it exists. I just have to find it.›

Taking a deep breath, Akane walked off to find something to drink and a place to sit down for a while.

* * *

Akane took stock of herself while she thought hard about how she might win the upcoming match. She was very, very determined to do so, whatever it might take. She just had to find a way.

With shocking suddenness, the insight crashed upon her that _this_ must be exactly how Ranma had felt on several previous occasions. Times when victory seemed hopeless to everyone else, everyone except Ranma. He never allowed himself even to consider the possibility of defeat. It was just a question of _how_ to win, and he found an answer every time.

Okay, she was tired, but the break was doing her a lot of good, and there was no way that Shampoo wasn't feeling some of the effects of the long day herself. Her chi reserves weren't exhausted, heck, she could probably manage another couple of blows like the one she used in the last bout. But Akane was sure that wasn't the way to go. Shampoo was certain to be ready for any such defense against her chui, especially after seeing Akane's last win. Unlike Mascara, Shampoo would not be caught by surprise for even a moment.

Akane let her mind drift back over all of the things Lotion had taught her, everything that Ranma had taught her. She even reflected on the things Genma had taught her. Somewhere in there she had to be able to find something. Some technique. Some trick. Something, anything she could use.

She was still thinking hard half an hour later when her name was called for the final match. Even so, Akane did not give in to despair. As she jumped upon the log her eyes raked over Shampoo calculatingly, taking in everything, seeking an answer to the problem before her.

The match began.

Neither opponent showed any emotion as they moved cautiously toward one another. Both felt confident. Both were determined not to be betrayed by that confidence. When they came within striking distance, both paused for a fraction of a second, assessing. Then both attacked.

The first flurry of blows was exchanged at such high speed that the spectators were only able to follow the action because of their own expertise at martial arts. This lasted for three endless seconds before Akane cried out as a kick connected with the shin she could not move aside in time. Stepping back hurriedly, her other foot lashed out in a kick to keep Shampoo at a distance. Steady again, Akane moved in once more.

Shampoo was, if not precisely frustrated, perhaps a little bugged that her first landed blow came from her foot rather than one of her chui. Nor had she been able to capitalize. Yet she remained calm, and settled herself to wearing down her enemy, while watching for any minor openings she could turn to her advantage.

The fight went on. Minutes passed.

Ranma was breathing hard, aching to scream just for the emotional release. Akane had gained numerous raw patches where blows had taken skin. She was now favoring her left arm. A thin trail of dried blood on her chin remained as a reminder of where she bit through her own lip. But she was still standing, her defense still solid. The question was, for how much longer?

His eye avoided Shampoo, who was as yet uninjured. At least she had a sheen of sweat on her forehead, and was breathing a trifle hard. Ranma could also hope she was feeling frustrated over how the match was going.

His hope was in vain. Shampoo was not frustrated. Her mind had fallen into an almost machine-like state, evaluating everything, planning each attack, keeping her defenses in place. She had long since decided that the surest approach was to wear Akane down slowly, one injury at a time. Confident in her own superiority, she nonetheless acknowledged that the girl she faced had a measure of skill and had shown a degree of trickiness in previous bouts. Shampoo would not risk opening herself up to some trick just to gain an immediate and grand victory.

Akane ducked low and her hand shot out toward the handle of one of Shampoo's maces. In that instant, the Chinese girl chose to sacrifice the weapon, seeing a possible advantage. Akane's blow knocked the chui from Shampoo's hand, giving her a moment of satisfaction at having reduced her opponent's weapons by half, but the satisfaction vanished immediately as a foot caught her in the side.

Akane twisted desperately to keep her balance and stay on the log. The other chui came around in a blindingly fast arc. Akane reacted instinctively, jumping high in a backward arc, her feet barely rising clear as the weapon passed by underneath. She did three somersaults backward through the air before landing awkwardly on the log. Two stumbling steps further brought her to the very end of the log, where she teetered dangerously for a moment before catching her balance and taking a step forward.

‹Damn!› Shampoo thought to herself, taking hold of her remaining weapon with both hands. She did not pursue immediately, taking a moment to covertly catch her breath. Out loud she mocked her rival. "Pervert girl try walk on air? Best keep feet on log. They be on ground soon enough."

Not once during the fight had Akane stopped seeking a way to win, some method of overcoming or bypassing the odds against her. On hearing Shampoo's comment, her chin suddenly lifted a centimeter or so, her eyes blinked a few times rapidly. No one took any notice. The moment passed on into other movements of no particular significance, shifting her balance, blowing a wisp of hair away from her eye. The moments after seemed no different from the moments before.

Except to one person. Of all those watching, only Ranma knew her well enough to sense that something had changed. He gripped the arms of the chair more tightly, straining forward.

During the few second's pause which Shampoo granted, Akane's thoughts churned at a furious pace, inspecting an idea from several sides. Considering possibilities. Refining her approach. It would be best if Shampoo could be coaxed into launching a hard attack, however cautiously she might do so. It might prove unnecessary but, still, better safe than sorry. Now how ...

Akane struggled to keep an evil grin from spreading on her face.

Akane looked Shampoo directly in the eyes, almost freezing the other girl in place as she took two very slow steps forward. They were still separated by several long paces. The young Japanese martial artist raised her fists slowly, thinking that it had all come down to this one moment. Akane knew that she was about to gamble everything. She'd have one shot, and if she failed then she lost it all. She began funneling as much chi as possible into her right leg.

Shampoo had settled herself back down and was ready to resume her plan. Akane had shown herself a strong fighter. Indeed, Shampoo almost felt a grudging respect for the Japanese girl. But she couldn't keep this up much longer. Akane was clearly the more weary of the two of them, and couldn't sustain many more injuries without leaving some major opening. It wouldn't be much longer now before Shampoo proved to everyone gathered who was truly the best, the most worthy of Ranma. No one could stand between her and her airen.

"Hey Shampoo." The voice was almost conversational, audible above the noise of the crowd but by no means shouted. Shampoo looked at Akane in puzzlement, wondering what was up. After all, she surely wasn't going to yield at this point, let alone wish her luck or anything of that sort.

As soon as she saw that she had Shampoo's attention, Akane went on in exactly the same tone of voice as before, speaking in Chinese to be sure that she was understood. The people in the front rows strained to hear what was being said.

"Something I meant tell you earlier. You know I have dinner with Ranma at guest house most nights. Last night everyone else go. We there alone." Akane paused theatrically, allowing a beatific smile to show on her face. "Wanted you to know, Ranma is wonderful lover. I afraid I be sore today, but feel great instead."

A curtain of red came down across Shampoo's vision. She gripped her remaining chui so hard the handle started to dent under her fingers.

Ranma's jaw dropped into his lap. What in _hell_ was Akane up to? Surely she didn't think Shampoo would lose all focus from hearing something like that?

Cologne buried her face in her hand, unwilling to watch what was coming, whichever way it turned out. There was a possibility that her great-granddaughter would completely lose her grip, attacking recklessly and making herself easy prey for the Tendo girl. If so, she didn't want to see it. More likely was that she would retain control. If so, Cologne had no wish to see what Shampoo would do to Akane's body before it fell.

Shampoo, warrior of the Joketsuzoku, paused for an instant before attacking, reigning back her immediate impulse to charge blindly and crush Akane, forcing herself to think clearly. ‹She said that on purpose to make me lose my temper! To make me easy to beat! She's a fool. She's not going to catch me with any trick. But she'll pay for that! The kitchen destroyer must die!›

Shampoo then launched her final attack, running forward along the log, quickly seeking to close the distance to her target. Her attention was tightly focused, wary, determined that her anger would not betray her. No, her anger would serve her. Akane Tendo was about to learn what it meant to gain the wrath of a true warrior.

Akane's eyes were narrowed, watching Shampoo begin her charge. As soon as she was certain that the Chinese girl had committed herself, Akane quickly brought her right leg up, the knee almost flat against her chest. She pictured her opponent's face under her. As Shampoo's weapon rose high to strike, Akane's foot shot down, with all the chi she could muster lending it strength.

A loud _crack_ thundered across the valley, echoing back and forth from the mountainsides.

Cologne's eyes shot open.

Akane was spinning, even as the two unequal halves of the challenge log swung down beneath her feet. Having positioned herself carefully, she easily grabbed the rope tied to her end of the log.

Shampoo found that she was the one running on air. The challenge log was in two pieces, each piece falling, pivoting around the ropes tied at either end. There was nothing under her feet, nothing within reach of her hands. No solution to be found in the brief millisecond before gravity claimed her.

Shampoo, warrior of the Joketsuzoku, hit the ground. Akane, victor and new honorary member of the Joketsuzoku, dangled from the rope above her.

Time froze, an instant captured in a memory which none present would ever forget.

* * *

Time started moving again.

Shampoo's eyes were wide with horror. An anguished "No!" tore itself from her throat. "That ... that's not fair! You can't do that! You ..."

"Shampoo!" The single snapped name cut across the tirade like a knife. Cologne marched up to her heir, face set in stone, bitter disappointment in her eyes. "Control yourself!"

"But ... but ..." Moisture was seeping out of the corners of her eyes.

Cologne spoke gratingly. "You touched the ground first. Your opponent wins. That's the rule."

Akane finally let herself drop to the ground. The judge reached her in two steps and grabbed her arm, lifting it high above her head. Shampoo stared helplessly at the sight, still not able to believe that this was happening. When the judge released her hand, Akane bowed to Shampoo.

Shampoo didn't move. Cologne prodded her with her staff. Finally, the young Amazon managed a bow. Unable to control herself any longer, Shampoo turned and ran off. She had no idea where she was going, she just needed to be away from _here_.

Lotion walked up to Akane and quietly congratulated her. As her eyes passed over Cologne, she restrained herself to a smile for her protégé's victory, careful not to allow any smugness into her expression. The sour look on Cologne's face made it all too clear that she was aware of the effort her rival was making not to cackle with glee. Several other people slowly came forward to offer Akane their congratulations as well.

"If someone doesn't let me out of this chair I'm gonna tear it to splinters!" Ranma's shouted voice was easily heard above the buzz of conversations among the spectators.

"I think we'd better do as he asks," Lotion said calmly.

Akane followed the elder over to where Ranma was sitting. She was surprised when Herb's wife Jasmine gave her a wink. Even the prince gave her a nod of approval, his face grave.

As soon as Lotion touched her staff to the throne, Ranma leaped out of it. He swept Akane into his arms, spinning around and around with her, laughing. Caught up in the moment she joined his laughter, then pressed her lips forward onto his. The kiss became protracted, to the point that Lotion had to clear her throat to capture their attention.

The elder remarked with good humor, "That will certainly do as a kiss of marriage to mark the end of the tournament."

Akane and Ranma turned to her with raised eyebrows before Ranma replied, "Uh, right. Marrying me was supposed to be the prize for this tournament, wasn't it? Well, I got every intention of marrying Akane. As soon as we get back to Japan, we can start making plans." He turned to Akane. "I think we decided on March, didn't we? Right after we graduate?"

Akane smiled. "All of a sudden, I'm wishing that March was closer."

Lotion shook her head, smiling evilly. "I'm afraid you two don't understand. The person who won the tournament was to marry Ranma. Right here. Immediately. We'll be holding the ceremony tomorrow."

The two teenagers, arms still wrapped around one another, stared at her speechlessly. They struggled to make their mouths work, to voice all of the obvious objections why they would not do so, but the shock was simply too great. With a slight tap of the elder's staff in the center of Ranma's chest, the two of them fell back to sit together on the throne, with Akane resting on Ranma's lap. They found themselves locked in place, unable to rise. The couple were forced to sit there for the next hour as most of the people in the village came up to wish them happiness in their upcoming marriage. Their stuttered protests went entirely unheeded.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Stick around for chapter 11, where we find out whether Akane and Ranma give in and go through with the wedding, or whether they decide to escape even though Akane _won_ the tournament.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	11. The Prize

**Fighting Chance  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Cologne and Shampoo trick Ranma into following Akane to China, but Akane is fast on the trail. When the Amazons choose to fight for Ranma, will Akane be able to defeat overwhelming odds to save him? Will Akane or Shampoo be the one to win her happy ending?

This chapter is posted in honor of the Emperor's Birthday (Dec 23).

* * *

**Chapter 11. The Prize**

A short time after being released from the seat beside the broken challenge log, two hours after the surprise announcement of their imminent nuptials, the two Japanese teenagers were sitting at a table in Lotion's house, speaking to Lotion and two other elders. Or at least, Akane was speaking, hanging on to a veneer of calm. Her fiancé on the other hand ...

"You don't understand!" Ranma said forcefully, almost shouting. "We _can't_ get married here! The idea is crazy!"

"Whatever makes you say that?" Lotion asked inquisitively, arching her eyebrows. Internally, she was enjoying herself immensely. Now that she knew she'd be getting rid of the troublesome boy in front of her, she didn't mind twisting his tail a little.

"We're from Japan," Akane said plaintively, trying to retain control, to make them see reason. "We should get married back home."

"You are now an honorary member of the Joketsuzoku," one of the other elders replied. "You will get married here, where all of your new kin may witness your bonding."

"Besides," Lotion told them through the grin which had been on her face since Akane won, "the whole point of that tournament was to decide who would marry Ranma in that wedding tomorrow. If the wedding isn't held, _someone_ might raise the question of whether your victory was valid. I don't think you need me to spell out where that might lead."

The two young martial artists fell silent on hearing this, digesting the implications. The threat was clear, and if Lotion was highly amused by their situation she was nonetheless not the ultimate source of that threat, and her words carried a worrying ring of truth.

From off to the side Konatsu looked from one of her friends to the other. Very innocently, she asked, "Don't you wish to get married? Ranma-sama? Akane-sama?"

The two turned their attention on the ninja, but found no words to answer her. Slowly they turned and looked into each other's eyes, as though trying to commune telepathically. Unfortunately they found no answers there either.

Genma was not present. After the announcement that they were to be married tomorrow, he had walked off, beaming brightly, wisely deciding to keep some distance from his son for a time. Herb had been one of the first to congratulate the fiancés, although his congratulations had broken down into a fit of coughing. Or at least Akane was trying to be charitable and regard it as coughing instead of suppressed laughter.

"I'll tell you what," Lotion said cheerfully. "Why don't the rest of us leave the two of you here to talk it over. After all, there's no reason not to leave you alone any longer." She smiled quite happily at them. "Just remember, we're not going to let you get out of this."

She got up and started shooing everyone else out. Ranma called after her retreating back, "Hey! Can you at least take these blasted weights off of me now?"

The elder turned and regarded him carefully, head cocked to one side. "No," she drawled slowly, after a moment. "I think on the whole it would be best to keep them on you until tomorrow." Giving a firm nod of her head, she turned and quickly walked through the doorway.

Akane let herself fall backward in her seat, dropping her head to rest on the back of the chair. Staring up at the ceiling, she whispered, "Now what?"

"I got no idea," Ranma groaned. "I mean, I want to marry you. Really. I'm even, well," he squirmed slightly, "kinda looking forward to it. But I figured we'd do it in Japan. A normal wedding. Maybe you could, uh, wear the same dress you had last time." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I really liked the way you looked in that dress."

Akane smiled. She reached out and took his hand in hers. Slowly, thoughtfully, she suggested, "On the other hand, do you think we're fated to have a 'normal' wedding? I think Ukyo might leave us in peace this time. But we can only be sure about Shampoo if we go through with it tomorrow, at least if everything they've told us is true. If we wait until we're back in Japan, can we be sure she won't interfere? And how about the Kuno creeps? Happosai? Ryoga?"

"I think you're being unfair to Ryoga."

"Hmmph." Akane tossed her head, looking away from him. A moment later she said. "Maybe. I'm not ready to forgive him yet. But ... I suppose you're right that he's not likely to interfere. Okay, forget Ryoga. Are you going to tell me we don't have to worry about the others?"

"No." Ranma sighed. "The Kuno's may have gotten the message by now, but I sure wouldn't count on that. So, are you saying that you _do_ want to get married here? Tomorrow?"

Akane ran a hand through her hair. "I'm not sure it's a question of what we want. Are they going to give us any choice? Besides ..."

She paused, looking off into space. Ranma started to say something, but Akane took her hand from his and placed a finger against his lips, silencing him. She was obviously chewing on some thought, and Ranma leaned back in his own chair, watching her.

"You know," Akane started, then hesitated again. She turned and looked at him. "If we go through with this ceremony, it would satisfy them. It would keep Cologne and Shampoo, and any of the others here, from causing any more trouble. But it wouldn't be _legal_. It's not like they'll have a marriage certificate from Japan for us to sign. For that matter we're not twenty yet. We both need our parents' permission to marry. Your dad would probably jump to agree, but my father is still back in Japan. Think they could get his signed permission by tomorrow?"

Ranma grinned. "Not likely is it?" His expression turned thoughtful. "So what you're suggesting is we go through with their ceremony. Make 'em happy. But it's just an empty ceremony. We won't really be married till we do it back home, with all the right paperwork."

Akane gave him a tender smile in return. "Yes, that's right. Who knows? It might even be fun. It's bound to be interesting, anyway. We'll just chalk it up as one more crazy event in our lives."

He squeezed her hand. "Okay. We'll do it. Of course, knowing me, I'll probably freeze up when it comes time to say the vows. Or whatever they do here. You may have to give me a swift kick."

Her eyes glittered. "Oh, I think you can count on that."

Ranma's face suddenly went blank, his thoughts turned inward. After a minute he leered at Akane, one eyebrow raised. "So, uh, what about tomorrow night? You know? Our, uh, _wedding night_?"

Akane's face immediately turned red. She gave her fiancé a shove, sending his chair toppling over, causing him to hit the floor with a thud. "Just what are you _thinking_, you pervert? You can just keep your pants on until the _real_ wedding."

The young man looked up at her from the floor, grinning, his eyes dancing. "Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help it. You're beautiful when your face turns red and that fire lights behind your eyes." He held his hands up when a low growl came from her throat. "I'll be good. I promise. But, um, ..."

Ranma held a finger up, asking her to give him a moment. He pulled himself off of the floor and sat in his chair again, then reached out and took both of her hands in his, overriding her token resistance.

When Ranma spoke, his voice was light but still serious. "Forget how I put that. But the question's still important. All of these people here are going to think it's a real wedding. We want them to. Don't you think there might be a problem if we go to separate houses that night?"

"Oh." Akane straightened up, flustered. "Ah ... hadn't thought of that. Yep, that'd be a problem." She thought some more. Her face twisted. "In fact, can we count on them not to look in on us? I mean, I'm sure they'd give us privacy when we first, uh, you know, uh, when we go to bed." Her voice shook slightly, and her face was turning red again. "But if they checked up on us later - well, hopefully they wouldn't do that either - but if they came to wake us the next morning and found us in separate beds ..." She trailed off.

"The jig would be up," Ranma finished for her. He sighed, looking down. When he looked back up, he was biting at his lower lip, nervous, struggling with the shyness that usually caused him to overreact and bluster when it came to anything involving their relationship.

"Look," he said, "you can trust me. I mean, you got to know that by now, right? Would it be so terrible, really, for me and you to sleep in the same bed? Just till we leave here? I give you my word I won't try nothing."

Akane's reply was shaky, also fighting nervousness. "I'd feel a lot better about that promise if you hadn't used a double negative."

"Huh?"

"Forget it." She took a deep breath, then another. "I suppose we'll have to. And yes, I do trust you. If you want to know the truth, what worries me ..." She lowered her eyes, and her voice dropped almost to the point of inaudibility. "What worries me is the temptation. Not just for you. For me too."

Ranma gripped her hands tighter. "It'll be okay. I wouldn't hurt you. Not like that, anyway. I ... I love you. see? I ain't afraid to say it anymore. And maybe it'll even be good for us. I mean, we _are_ gonna get married soon, even if tomorrow won't be for real. Besides ..."

He paused until Akane looked up at him, then continued. "After today, I think you, we, can do anything we set our minds to."

"Thanks." Her voice was almost normal again. After a moment she added, "I'm glad I won today."

Ranma gave a soft chuckle. "I'm glad you won today, too. Now, let's just try to get through the next couple of days, and then get out of here. Who knows? If we're unlucky enough, maybe we'll be back home before school starts."

With their decisions made, they were finally free to relax. Except Akane found herself doing anything but relaxing. She kept replaying in her mind the events of the day, and all the ways things could have gone wrong. Against her will, she began to tremble, as the possibilities forced their way into her thoughts now that she was no longer so tightly focused on winning.

"Akane ...?" Ranma inquired softly, feeling the tremor in her fingers.

"Could you ... hold me, please," Akane said, just as softly. "I think I need to have a good cry. It's been a hell of a day."

He said nothing, just opened his arms and took her into them. She settled herself into his lap, tucked her head under his chin, gripped the cloth of his shirt at the shoulder, drinking in the comfort of his presence. The tears started to spill out, uncontrollably. Nor did Akane make any effort to control them. She had won, defeated all comers, and no one was here to see except Ranma. She could afford the luxury of tears now, and welcomed the catharsis they would bring.

* * *

Shampoo wandered around the village in a daze, trying desperately to think of nothing. She had no particular destination in mind, nowhere to go except to keep walking. To keep walking and to avoid the places where preparations for tomorrow's wedding were taking place. One corner of her mind was crying out that this had to be a nightmare, that soon she would wake up, but she knew all too well that it was real. That there would be no waking up from this horror.

A few weeks ago she had beaten Akane Tendo. Had her helpless on the ground at her feet while she kicked her. She could have killed the Japanese girl easily then, and her people would have approved. Except that Ranma would not have. She had known that Ranma would never forgive her for that, would probably kill her in turn, and she had still hoped to win his heart. Somehow. If she could just get him back to China.

And now. Everything had changed. Horribly so. She, the previous champion, had _lost_, lost to Akane Tendo. Lost not just a fight, she had lost all claim to Ranma, forever. It was Akane he would marry, not her. Nor could she ever pursue any form of vengeance. Akane was an honorary Joketsuzoku now, a ... a _sister_ warrior. Any suggestion that she might seek vengeance would bring the village elders crashing down on Shampoo herself like an avalanche.

Just to pour salt on the wounds, she would have to be present at the wedding tomorrow. Her great-grandmother would never let her get away with the insult of not attending. Shampoo had spent days dreaming of that situation, but with the roles reversed - herself marrying Ranma with Akane in the audience, looking on in agonized defeat. Instead, it was she who would be watching, and Akane who would cast the gloating glance in her direction.

There was nothing, nothing at all she could do. Those had practically been Cologne's exact words to her, when she had hunted her down after the tournament. In an incredibly fierce voice she had said, "There is nothing that you can do about this. Nothing, do you understand me? Don't you _dare_ think about shaming our family by making some stupid, useless gesture." She had promised her great-grandmother, knowing that she had no choice, that she had to bear this like the warrior she was.

Shampoo came around a corner and froze. She was facing a field, and two people were fighting there! Mousse! What was he doing? And Meifen, the girl they had traveled with, the one she had worried might have gotten too close to Ranma in their cell. No, wait, they weren't fighting. They were sparring.

She watched in growing pique as Mousse called a halt and stepped up closer to Meifen, taking her arm in his and moving it while talking to her. He demonstrated the same move at greater speed and asked her to repeat it. After a few more repetitions Shampoo recognized it as a move she had seen Ranma use. Mousse must have picked it up from fighting the other boy. Of course, this did nothing to answer the question uppermost in Shampoo's mind. Why was he teaching it to Meifen?

When Mousse was satisfied, Meifen thanked him. She smiled at him. Smiled _warmly_. Shampoo discovered that her teeth were grinding together, although she had no idea why. Why should she care? Mousse was dead to her, she had seen to it that everyone knew she had shunned him. She should just turn around and go, quickly. Why were her feet taking her closer?

The other two teenagers finally noticed her presence, looking around at Shampoo's approach. Mousse dropped his eyes almost immediately, knowing that he could not speak to her, and finding it much too painful to look at his former love. Meifen of course was under no such restriction.

"Hello Shampoo," the young woman said, cordially. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Shampoo ignored the other girl. She felt irrational anger burning in her gut, a fury that pushed itself into her mouth and forced her to speak. "Stupid duck boy! What are you doing? Do you honestly think anyone could believe that you would prefer ... her?"

Meifen's expression closed down instantly at the insult, turning to stone. Mousse clenched his fists. For years he had poured his soul into trying to gain Shampoo's notice. It seemed that the answer he had sought for so long was as simple as giving his attention to another girl. An answer which came far too late. Her notice was now beyond his reach, by her word, by law. A law she herself was violating by speaking to him.

He also discovered that he was absolutely furious at the insult to Meifen.

Mousse slowly turned to Shampoo. He looked her directly in the eyes, and Shampoo took an involuntary step backward. The bumbling fool she had always known was no longer present behind his glasses.

"I'm sorry," Mousse said coldly, sounding honestly puzzled. "Do I know you?"

Shampoo jerked as if she'd been slapped. She was totally speechless, and belatedly realized her own breach of custom and law in addressing him. Confused, not knowing what to do or say, she turned on her heel and marched off.

Mousse immediately turned back to Meifen, feeling stiff and unnatural, but with all coldness gone from his voice. "Okay. Let's see if you can use that counter while we're sparring." Meifen wanted to say something, but nothing presented itself to her. He was waiting, patiently, so she took up the position. Both of them returned their concentration to their martial arts practice, and soon forgot the interruption.

* * *

Lotion was generous enough to give Akane and Ranma an entire hour to themselves. At the end of that hour she marched in and whisked Akane away, saying that they had to finish the preparations now that they knew who the bride was to be. Akane barely had time for one last peck on Ranma's lips and a grip of his fingers before she was gone.

A little while later a panda bear wandered in. Spying Ranma, he held up a sign with the question, "Hello boy. Is it safe for me to be here?"

His son snorted. "As long as you don't say anything stupid about this wedding, it is. Knowing you, that means it's probably not safe."

The panda wandered over to a sink and poured himself some hot water, which he immediately poured over his head. Grabbing a gi, Genma quickly garbed himself. "So you're going through with it?" the man asked as he sat in a chair. After Ranma nodded, his father continued with, "You want any advice about your wedding night?"

Ranma promptly buried his face in both hands. "Oh God! No, no, no, _no_! The last person I want _any_ advice about that is from you."

Genma chortled. "Count your blessings. The night before _my_ wedding, the person who asked me that was your _mother's_ father. Not mine. The old man was holding a katana when he asked it. Unsheathed."

Both men settled back in their chairs. Genma was wondering once again whether he ought to reveal to Ranma that he could disable his son's weights, and decided against it as he had before. Ranma was obviously managing fine with them on, and the man really did want him to go through with the wedding tomorrow. Legal or not, Ranma would feel much more bound by honor to marry Akane afterward, so why risk the boy choosing to run off beforehand?

After a period of silence Genma piped up, "Has it occurred to you that this ceremony won't be legal? The bride's father is back in Nerima. Kind of hard to give his stamp of approval from there."

Ranma nodded. "Yeah, we already figured that out. Akane suggested we go through with it anyway. Keep the people here happy, so they don't try to cause no more trouble. Maybe it'll be good practice for when we do it for real."

His father sighed. "Pity we're not someplace big enough to have a Japanese embassy. They'd have all the right paperwork. Could probably work out something about Tendo-kun's permission too. Something involving fax machines maybe."

Ranma scowled. "Well, we're not, so forget about it. Jeez, what's your problem, pop? I've agreed to marry Akane. Mom's agreed I'm manly enough, so she ain't gonna make you slit your belly. Is it that tough to wait a few more months?"

"I've been waiting a long time already, boy."

"You can wait a little longer," his son replied grumpily. "Hell, we're only eighteen. It's not like we can open the dojo for business before we graduate."

Ranma stared out the window moodily. Darkness was already creeping across the village, thanks to the mountain's shadow. He wondered if Akane would be free to join him for dinner. For that matter he wondered if they'd let him have a chance to see her at all before the wedding tomorrow. Noticing his father draw breath to speak, Ranma cut across his attempt with a change of subject before the old man could say anything else irritating.

"Got any idea where Konatsu is? I haven't seen much of her today, just a bit a while back when Akane and I were arguing with Lotion about tomorrow."

Genma followed the conversational swerve. "I saw him heading off with people carrying a bunch of fabric. I guess the little, er, I guess he's helping out with the wedding garments. Or something."

"She, pop," Ranma said wearily.

The man's face twisted unpleasantly. "He's a boy. No damn curse is gonna change that. You lot can treat him like a girl all you want, but that don't change the facts. Or do you want people to start thinking you're a girl, too?"

Ranma's eyes gazed off into the distance. "I don't know exactly what I am anymore." Seeing his father's incipient explosion, the boy held up a hand, saying, "Let me explain. Yes, I'm a guy. I'm male. Unlike Konatsu, that's how I think of myself, so that's what I am. I'm a guy and I'm gonna be Akane's husband, not her wife or any other damn thing."

He leaned his head back, trying to say things he'd been thinking over since the trip to Jusenkyo and Konatsu's transformation. When he'd been forced to accept that he really was stuck with this curse for longer than he'd already been alive. At the least.

"All that's true. But I can't just ignore the curse. I'm not _just_ a guy anymore. For God knows how many more years I'm gonna be spending a good bit of time as a girl. I've got to accept that, learn to live with it. I've already gotten into too damn much trouble from not accepting it."

"We'll find some cure ..."

"No pop," Ranma interrupted. "No more. I won't risk any more disasters. I'll find my cure when Jusenkyo is willing to let me, and not before. So ... what does that mean? What am I really?"

Genma was silent. Ranma continued speaking after a moment.

"I've been thinking about it a lot, lately. The one thing I've decided is that I'm not some half boy, half girl. For that matter I'm not eighty percent boy and twenty percent girl. I'm a hundred percent man, male, 'cause that's what I am inside, where it matters.

"But I'm more than that now. I'm, oh, let's say I'm a hundred twenty percent human. A hundred percent male _plus_ an extra twenty percent female on _top_ o'that. I'm not some partial male. I'm a whole male plus something extra. Something no other man gets to experience. Well, 'cept for Prince Herb, of course."

Ranma sighed, his head still resting on the back of the chair. "So stop worrying about it pop. I'm all guy. Just like Konatsu's a girl, 'cause that's what she always believed she was. Treating her the way she wants ain't gonna change what I am."

"Hmmph!" was Genma's only reply. He crossed his arms and said nothing more.

Ranma welcomed the silence as preferable to the alternative. Besides, he had a lot to think about.

* * *

As it turned out, Ranma was wrong to worry that he and Akane might not be able to have dinner together. On the other hand, it wasn't exactly a private dinner. In fact, it seemed like practically the whole village was present in the large room, at a feast which simultaneously celebrated Akane's victory in the tournament, welcomed her to honorary membership among them, and cheered her brand new - so far as they were concerned - engagement.

Ranma was sitting beside Akane, at her left side. On her right sat Lotion. On Ranma's left, making both of them uncomfortable, sat Cologne. A scattering of other withered old crones occupied the remaining seats at the table. They were on a raised dais, making them easily visible to the several hundred people sitting at the other tables.

As he thought about those numbers, Ranma realized that this could not, after all, be anywhere close to all of the people who lived in the village. In fact, it could only be a representative fraction. He was rather surprised by his realization - apparently he had learned something in his math classes after all.

Ranma mostly ate in silence. Cologne made no attempt to strike up a conversation, and neither did he. Akane mostly talked to Lotion. Ranma wasn't sure what to say to his fiancée. He had no idea what you were supposed to talk about to the girl whom you were going to marry tomorrow, except not really. They did manage to talk a little bit about some of the matches earlier that day, but on the whole he'd rather have done so somewhere by themselves.

When the elaborate meal finally drew to a close, Akane was immediately dragged off again. Ranma was left to his own devices and wandered around a little, more or less in the direction of the guest house where he, Genma and Konatsu had been staying. As he strolled down a street looking at the stars, someone fell into step alongside. Ranma dragged his eyes down and looked over to see Jade's husband Gel walking beside him.

The young man groaned, his face turning red. "Please tell me you're not here to give me another lesson for tomorrow night."

The man chuckled. "What, I didn't teach you enough last time? You reckon you need to learn more?"

"_No_," Ranma answered emphatically and a little wildly, before continuing with strained politeness. "Thank you, but, uh, I think I'll take it from here."

"Okay," he answered with a devilish grin. "Not why I stopped by anyway."

Ranma sighed. "Okay, let's get this over with. So why are you here?"

An eyebrow quirked up, and there was a trace of amusement present when he responded. "Womenfolk around here, they can get really caught up in things like weddings. Though from what I hear, that's true everywhere. But they often think of us men as just ornaments for these things, meaning they don't necessarily give us much thought at all. I was thinking to myself, I wonder if anyone bothered to tell that boy what to expect at the wedding tomorrow? What would happen, what he'd be expected to do?"

The boy in question missed a step, but recovered quickly. "Uh, no. No they didn't."

"That's what I figured," the older man said with a heartfelt sigh. "Listen, I happen to have a little something to relax you here." He lifted his other hand, showing a bottle containing some dark liquid. "Not that I'm gonna let you get drunk, mind, but I reckon about now you could probably use something to help you calm your nerves. Why don't we go to your place, let me pour you a drink, and I'll tell you all about it?"

Ranma didn't take long to think it over. He wasn't too interested in the contents of the bottle, not being one to drink even socially. Though truth to tell he _was_ just a bit on edge. More importantly, he did need to know what would happen tomorrow.

"Okay," he said. "So long as you stick to telling me about tomorrow and not tomorrow night. Come on."

Gel smiled but said nothing, falling in beside the boy. They hadn't gone far when they met four people coming down the road in the other direction. For a moment Ranma considered swinging wide around the Musk contingent, but then decided he could just pass by without saying anything. This was not to be, however.

Before they even met, Prince Herb called out with an unconcealed smile, "Where away, Saotome? Are you not spending the evening with your bride-to-be?"

Ranma sighed, but answered civilly enough, "The women dragged her away. I think they're taking care of some more details about the wedding."

Before Herb could respond, his wife Jasmine frowned prettily before she turned in her husband's direction and remarked, "I believe I would also like a word or two with today's victor, before tomorrow's ceremony. Would you excuse me, my lord?"

Herb frowned as well, although in his case it was due to confusion. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "As you like. I'll see you in our quarters later." He looked back over his shoulder and added, "Lime, please escort my wife wherever she wishes to go. You are not to intrude on any meetings she has with other women. Stand your post at a distance, or outside the house they are in. I trust there will be no further incident such as that during dinner."

Lime reddened, but stepped up beside Jasmine. As they walked off he mumbled under his breath, "How was I supposed to know she was talking about the chicken when she asked if I wanted a breast or thigh?"

Before the prince could walk off, Gel spoke up to suggest, "Ranma and I were just heading back to his house to discuss the wedding, and share a little drink. Would you care to join us?"

Herb was about to make his excuses when he caught sight of the bottle in the man's hand. His eyebrows lifting fractionally. "Do you know, I believe I will," he replied instead. He turned around and started walking with Ranma and Gel back the way he had come. Mint trailed behind.

Ranma decided he might as well try to make conversation, although it would be best to keep to inconsequential, and therefore safe, subjects. So he mentioned, "I don't believe I saw you at the dinner tonight."

Herb shook his head. "You wouldn't have. Today was more wearing than I expected. As you know, we had to make a quick march to arrive in time. In any case I did not wish to expend energy on an elaborate function and all of the underlying diplomacy involved." He sighed. "Though it proved impossible to escape after all. A couple of elders insisted on joining us for dinner in our quarters, together with some of their younger relatives." He winced at the memory of one of those young relatives trying to make conversation with Lime, and the fast talking he had needed to do afterward to mend the breach.

They reached the house and stepped inside, to find a panda bear sprawled on the couch, eating some cakes he had apparently smuggled from the feast earlier. Genma quickly stood up on seeing that the Musk prince accompanied his son. A layer of crumbs slid off of his belly onto the floor.

Ranma just rolled his eyes upward. "Would you get some hot water and change? And maybe pretend for a while that you're civilized?"

The bear growled and wandered off, followed by Gel. A few seconds later they returned, Genma in human form, and Gel carrying glasses. The latter poured a small amount of liquid in each glass from the bottle he carried, then passed them around. Ranma looked down at his dubiously.

"So," Herb drawled as he lightly swirled the drink in his glass, "are you looking forward to the wedding?" He lifted the glass and took a small sip.

Ranma's lips turned down. "Don't start," he said with a hint of menace. He continued to stare at the drink for a few more seconds, trying to discern the color in the dim light of the room. "I ain't happy about being forced into this so soon, but Akane's the girl I want to marry and I'm ready to face it."

Herb's eyebrows lifted. "You make it sound like a fight."

The groom-to-be shrugged his shoulders. "It's about the only way I know how to deal with things."

He looked up to see his father and Gel lifting their glasses to their lips. Mint was standing over by the door, no drink visible in his hands. Apparently he considered himself on guard duty. Figuring 'what the hell,' Ranma lifted his own glass to his mouth and let a small amount slide down his throat. Despite having prepared himself for the expected alcoholic content it burned all the way down and left him choking, requiring a huge effort to disguise this with a cough and to prevent himself from pounding his chest with a fist. Ranma opened his watering eyes to see the others grinning at him.

Taking sympathy on the boy's discomfort, Gel began speaking. "Well now, I did promise to tell you what to expect tomorrow. For the most part you only need to follow directions, doing what others tell you to do. It starts with a bath followed by the wedding breakfast. Nothing particularly special about either, except that attendants will help you bathe and you'll be given special clothes to wear to the breakfast. After that ..."

He proceeded to outline the events through the end of the ceremony, while Ranma gave him his careful attention. The others listened with only half an ear, giving more of their attention to the golden nectar from which they continued to sip. The description didn't truly take very long.

"And that's it?" Ranma asked when the older man seemed to be finished. The man nodded, forgoing words to lift his glass again.

"Huh," Ranma added. He lifted his own glass for a second time and took a cautious sip, fighting to keep his face expressionless as it went down. "I guess I was expecting a lot more. I mean, well ... from what I've heard of weddings back home, they can be a hell of a lot more complex."

Gel responded with a smile, "What can I say? We are a simple folk."

Ranma snorted, but said nothing. Privately he reflected that 'simple' was not the word he would have used to describe Amazon culture, but perhaps he shouldn't have expected overly elaborate rituals from a culture which thought a kiss was sufficient ceremony for an engagement. Not that tomorrow would be anywhere near _that_ simple, but it did sound fairly straightforward.

"Now that we've covered the wedding day," Herb remarked, "would you care for any further advice concerning the wedding night?" His smile was entirely too innocent.

"Bugger off," Ranma said with a half-hearted scowl, thankful that his pop was keeping his own mouth shut. He took another small sip, swallowing with a little less trouble this time, while thinking that maybe this stuff the old man had given him wasn't all that bad after all.

"Although," Ranma mused, as if having second thoughts, "if you really wanna talk about it, how did you manage? On your wedding night? Given that you didn't have a lot of experience with girls and all."

Herb scowled and looked aside. Finally, reluctantly, he chose to reply. "It was ... awkward. Neither of us ... to be frank, neither of us really knew what we were doing." He turned his scowl on his drink, as he realized he was speaking openly about a subject on which he was unlikely to have spoken under other circumstances. He leaned his head back and sighed. "We did not have the advantage of a courtship, at least not of the usual sort. We had never even kissed before our wedding." His mouth twisted. "I suppose you're better off than I was, in that regard, having been courting your fiancée for a couple of years."

Ranma shook his head. "Not really. I only kissed her for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Well, the first time I meant to." He frowned, remembering the photograph he had seen of himself kissing Akane while in the neko-ken. "We sure ain't done any more'n that. Hell, Lotion ain't even been letting us kiss."

The young prince felt an unexpected rush of sympathy for his companion, and frowned suspiciously at his drink again, placing the blame thereon. Haltingly he said, "Then I suppose it will be as awkward for you. I would suggest ... take it slowly. Be gentle. Pay attention to her - don't think only of yourself. Don't expect to be an expert right away."

Gel nodded, eyes half closed. "Sage advice. It's a pity you didn't have time to grow more comfortable with the initial movements of the dance, before the command performance. Though I suppose it would be impolite for me to point out wasted opportunities. Still, I daresay you will survive your first time, however much you blunder about at it. If people did not, there would be far fewer people."

Ranma knew his face was glowing, although he hoped the lighting was low enough that it would not be obvious. "Could we change the subject? I'm sure Akane and I'll manage, one way or another. Did you see that move Akane used on, uh, what's her name, oh yeah, Mascara? That was something, wasn't it?"

The talk moved on to other things, but before long Ranma found himself unable to keep his eyelids open, and wondered if it might be due to the empty glass in his hands. Once Gel realized this he made noises about needing to get to his own bed. Ranma saw Herb and Gel to the door, noticed that his pop was lightly snoring on the couch where he lay, and stumbled off to his own room. There he yanked off his clothes and flopped back onto the bed. He had time for one sleepy thought, wondering what Akane was up to right then, before his eyes closed and he started snoring.

Over in Jade's house, Jasmine had shown up and been invited in to join Akane, Jade, Lotion and, surprisingly, Konatsu. Lime was left to stand outside at the door, pondering what the Amazon elder had meant at dinner about removing the head which seemed to be doing his thinking.

Inside the house, the conversation had flowed along similar lines as that among the men, as they sipped from glasses poured out of a bottle identical to the one Gel had carried. There was a brief interruption to their talk as Jade pounded on Akane's back after her first tentative swallow of the fiery liquid. Jasmine managed to force it down without such exuberant assistance. Konatsu took a small sip, nodded thoughtfully, and put the rest aside.

After her host returned to her seat, Akane scowled down into her glass, then looked up to where Jade was taking a slow sip and Lotion a rather larger one. Setting herself to the task grimly, Akane continued to sip from the glass until it was empty. It became easier with each additional swallow.

As she drank, Jade and Lotion continued to instruct Akane in the various rituals which would take place the next day, and Jade tried to get Akane to open up about any reservations she might have concerning the wedding night. Jasmine assisted the older woman in this by relating a little information about her own first time. She told Akane more than her husband had been willing to share with Ranma, although she assured Akane that her 'dragon' had slowly learned how to please her very well indeed.

Jade was glad that the Musk princess was so forthcoming. She did not feel that she herself could contribute much in the way of reassurance to the young bride on such points. After all, her own wedding night had been special primarily in that she and Gel hadn't needed to worry about getting caught.

Even less accustomed to liquor than Ranma, Akane soon found herself nodding, unable to follow the conversation. Jade helped her to her room, where Akane somehow managed to change into pajamas before simply collapsing onto her bed, barely able to pull the covers over herself. She was amazed that such a small glass could affect her so greatly, and warned herself to be even more cautious in future. Her last sleepy thought was to hope that Ranma was all right, wherever he was.

* * *

The day dawned bright and early for Ranma. Much too early in fact, when several Amazon males pulled him from his warm and comfortable bed. Going on automatic, the boy immediately attacked the unsuspecting men, injuring several before he was seized in an iron grip.

"Enough boy!" Genma bellowed, as he held his son's arms pinned to his sides. "Don't you want to get married?"

At the reminder, Ranma's brain caught up with his body and he stopped struggling. "Uh. Yeah. Married. I'm supposed to get married today." He relaxed further as the arms released him, then put a hand to his head as he realized how it was throbbing. Reflecting on what had set it off, Ranma spun without warning and kicked his father away, wincing severely at the crash when Genma struck the wall. Trying not to speak more loudly than necessary, the young man said, "Pop, you shout in my ear again and I'll take your head off. I got a hell of a headache."

The male attendants timidly approached, escorting him out of the house, gradually growing more relaxed and confident as their charge showed no further sign of violence. By the time they reached the baths the men were sufficiently reassured that they ignored Ranma's sleepy protests as they stripped him and scrubbed him down briskly. Although annoyed at being treated so peremptorily at a task he was perfectly capable of doing himself, Ranma resigned himself to their efforts, thankful that at least they were using hot water. Afterward they attacked him from all sides with towels, not even giving him a chance to dry himself. Finally the attendants forced him into clothing reminiscent of the robes Mousse usually wore, although quite a bit fancier.

After studying the garments Ranma looked up at one of the men who had helped to dress him and said, "I seem to remember that I'm supposed to have an escort in today's ceremonies. That right?"

The man he had addressed answered without hesitation, "That is so. These ..." He waved his arm to indicate the others. "... are the ones who were selected. Together with your father."

Ranma looked him in the eye, put on a serious expression, and told him, "I'd like Mousse to be with me today. Sort of as ... never mind. But I'd like him to be there. Okay?"

The man looked puzzled, then walked over to the others and spoke, too rapidly for Ranma to easily follow. One of the men walked off. The first attendant turned back with a shrug and said, "We have no objection. We will ask Mousse if he wishes to do this."

Apparently deciding that they had already delayed long enough, Ranma was quickly pulled down the road to the community hall, where they had held the feast the previous evening. He was trailed by his father and Konatsu, the former thankfully human, the latter in cursed form. Both were also in new clothes, Joketsuzoku style robes brightly colored but of less ornate cut. Ranma was shown to a place at the front table where he stood until someone pushed him into his seat. There he was joined a minute later by Akane. The boy finally got his sleepy brain in gear and remembered that the day was to start with a wedding breakfast.

As Akane's sponsor into the tribe, Lotion had a seat of honor beside Ranma. Jasmine had the other seat of honor, beside Akane, with her husband Prince Herb on her other side. The knowledge that this was the first major ritual of their supposed wedding day left the two teenagers tongue-tied with one another. Luckily, the burden of conversation was taken up by the people seated near them. Even more fortuitous, Cologne was seated too far down the high table to talk to either of them and Shampoo was at a much lower table.

When the meal was done and, more significantly, after the overly long speeches which followed drew to a close, the couple were expected to pray for the blessings of the ancestors on their union. For this purpose, they were escorted by a small party to the first of two shrines. Ordinarily the shrine in question would belong to the family of the bride. In this circumstance, they went instead to the shrine devoted to Lotion's ancestors. Following instructions Akane and Ranma lit incense and burned paper offerings, then prayed for the next hour, until their guides indicated that they were done.

After this they were taken to another shrine, a special one reserved for outsiders who married into their people, since the husband in such a case would have no ancestors there. Here they repeated the entire ritual, spending yet another hour in prayer. Mousse showed up halfway through, dressed like the other male attendants. He gave Ranma a puzzled look, then stood silently until the end.

When it was over, Mousse asked quietly, "Why ...?"

Ranma shrugged. "I didn't want you there at the beginning. I was wrong. Figured you had a right to be there at the end."

His old rival gave Ranma a long look, sighed, and finally responded with a small nod. Nothing more was said.

By the time Akane and Ranma left the second shrine the sun was perhaps two thirds of the way up the sky toward its zenith. They were taken in separate directions to undergo ritual purification, to which Genma accompanied his son but Konatsu did not. This event involved multiple dips in cold and hot pools in alternation, during which Ranma could not escape his transformation. He decided to be amused by the intense blushes on the faces of his male attendants. Mousse hung back, mindful of his own curse.

This stage of the formalities was completed as the clock neared noon, the time set for the main ceremony. Ranma's clothing was already laid out, and the men started helping him into it. Their help was necessary. There was some similarity in appearance to the robes he had worn to the breakfast, but these were far more elaborate. Not to mention much, much heavier. When added to the weights which were _still_ strapped to his wrists and ankles, the young man was surprised he didn't sink into the ground.

When the group exited the building, they were confronted by Lotion, who stood in their path.

Ranma sighed heavily, not wanting to admit that the weight was killing him. "What now?" he asked resignedly.

The elder looked him up and down. "Well, I must admit, you do cut a fine figure. Akane should be pleased. As to why I'm here ... will you give me your oath, on your honor, that you will go through with the coming ceremony?"

Ranma thought that one over, wondering why she was asking. Finally he shrugged. "Sure. I already planned to. Uh, so, I swear on my honor that I will go through with ... uh, hang on. I swear that I'll go through with my wedding with Akane." Ranma felt perspiration dotting his brow that he had almost sworn to go through with _any_ ceremony he might have found himself in, even a wedding to Shampoo.

Lotion nodded. "Fine. Then I'll remove the weights from you and your father. Stand still please."

The old woman touched her staff to the harness on Ranma's left wrist while he watched closely. As she moved to the right one, he pulled his hand back and held out his left arm to stop her. Bringing his right hand back in front of him, he examined the weight closely, put his left hand over it for a moment and then smiled while voicing a light "Ahh" of satisfaction and relief. He squatted and put his hands over both ankle weights before standing and grinning at the elder, almost bouncing in place with happiness over the removal of the burden he'd borne.

For her part the flabbergasted woman touched her staff to the weights in disbelief, confirming that they were deactivated. Lotion stepped back absentmindedly, trying to wrap her mind around his latest accomplishment, while motioning a couple of men forward. She watched them unbuckle and remove the weights, without saying a word, before shaking herself and stepping over to Genma.

When her staff touched the older man's weights she froze in shock, then began cursing foully, finding them already deactivated. She vented her feelings by whacking him across the head with her staff. Feeling unsatisfied, she whacked him twice more for good measure. As the elder marched off, they heard her grumbling, "I pray to all the ancestors that I _never_ again meet a male by the name of Saotome!"

"Hear, hear," muttered Mousse meaningfully.

Ranma cocked a curious eyebrow at his father, who was rubbing the lumps on the back of his head and muttering under his breath. When Genma finally noticed his son's regard, Ranma said, quite calmly, "Pop, I'm guessing that meant you already figured out how to turn those things off. And you kept it to yourself." He cracked his knuckles menacingly. "You and I are gonna have a long _talk_ about that later, if you know the kind of _talk_ I mean."

Genma swallowed nervously as the men finished removing his weights, but decided silence was the safest course of action on his part. Ranma turned to continue up the road, with a couple of attendants in the lead, and everyone else fell in behind.

The party approached a circular structure which Ranma had not previously visited. When they entered, he found it was an amphitheater, filled with the residents of the village. He and his male attendants walked down an aisle on one side, whereupon the young man saw his bride approaching them down an opposite aisle, accompanied by a group of female attendants.

Ranma's eyes locked on Akane. She was wearing a flowing white dress, not at all similar to a western wedding dress, but which nonetheless made her look absolutely beautiful. The sword hanging at her side somehow emphasized the effect rather than detracting from it. There was some sort of tiara on her head, gold bracelets spiraling around her wrists, and a jeweled necklace on her throat which must have been worth a fortune.

The attendants walking on either side were quick to catch Ranma when his foot missed the next step. After Ranma was steady once more, Mousse released his grip, chuckling, then whispered, "Feeling eager?" He ignored the return glare.

As they neared the center Ranma finally managed to glance at the women who were with Akane. Lotion he identified immediately, and Konatsu a moment later, standing behind Akane wearing a lavender dress. The others puzzled him for a minute before he finally identified them as the guards who had kept watch over the group for the last couple of weeks. It was the long dresses and elaborate hairstyles which confused him. He realized that they represented Akane's closest female companions among the villagers. With these identifications made to his satisfaction, Ranma's eyes returned happily to Akane, reveling in the sight of her.

An Amazon elder named Mist stood in the center where both groups met. She would be the one to perform the wedding. Mist was the eldest of the elders, much older and far more wizened than either Cologne or Lotion, although neither Ranma nor Akane would have believed this if not for the evidence of their own eyes. She spoke at length in an old dialect which neither the bride nor groom could understand, but the gist of it had been explained to both beforehand. Stuff about how everyone was gathered there to witness the marriage of the couple before them, what marriage meant, and so forth. There was nothing particularly unexpected, at least considering the culture. Ranma remembered how his lip had curled on first hearing the bit about how the man was expected to submit to his wife's will.

Finally the elder turned her attention to Ranma and spoke in modern Chinese. "Do you, Ranma Saotome, promise before all those here gathered to be a faithful husband to Akane Tendo, to love her always, to stand with her no matter what the winds may bring, from this day forth to the end of time?"

Ranma had to clear his throat first. Looking directly into Akane's eyes he whispered, "I do."

Mist turned her attention to Akane, who suppressed a wince as she remembered what she had been told of the vows, emphasizing as they did the cultural gender roles and the hope for the tribe's future.

"Do you, Akane Tendo, promise before all those here gathered that you shall henceforth be the wife of Ranma Saotome, to give him your love, to provide him a home, from this day forth to the end of time, and through him to secure for the future of your people through the bearing of strong children?"

Akane's voice wavered a little, but she got out a fairly strong, "I do." As she spoke she was staring into the sapphire pools of Ranma's eyes, wondering if she might fall and drown in them.

The elder took their hands in hers and brought them together, then tied a braided gold string around them. "You who were two are now bound as one, everlasting. What has been joined, let none ever part." She paused, then added with a smile, "Congratulations. You're now husband and wife. It is traditional to finalize a marriage with a kiss. Given your history with us, I'm sure that comes as no surprise."

Extremely self-conscious, Akane and Ranma leaned together and kissed. There was applause from a considerable portion of the audience, although notable exceptions existed. When they parted, both pairs of eyes were shining.

"If you'll follow me, there's one last thing to do," Mist said.

Puzzled, the newlywed couple followed the ancient crone over to a table on which lay a wide, shallow box. She untied the string around their hands and set it aside. Mist then lifted the lid on the box, revealing its contents. Akane and Ranma stared, slowly realizing what they were looking at, and both felt fingers of ice crawling down their spines.

Lying innocently inside were a handful of items. An official Japanese marriage certificate, needing only the bride's and groom's stamps. Two official permission forms for the marriage of Japanese minors, one already filled out with Akane's name and bearing the stamp of Soun Tendo. Three hankos. Two gold rings.

"Where ..." Ranma choked, recovered. "Where did you get that?"

Lotion answered, sounding for all the world as if she didn't understand the nature of his question. "From Japan, of course. Where did you think?"

Akane turned to face the old woman at her side. She was starting to hyperventilate, and her voice came out squeaky. "You know what he meant. How? How did those things come to be here? Today?"

Lotion was losing the battle with the grin that wanted to escape. "Oh that. I wrote to your father on the same day I entered you in the tournament. Told him that if everything worked out right, that you'd be marrying Ranma, and would he please send me everything we'd need to make it legal. Promised I'd send it back if you didn't win. He sent it by express mail and I got it a few days ago, along with his regrets at not being able to be here in time to attend."

Akane and Ranma turned to stare at each other, their faces studies in discombobulation. Slowly they turned their heads to look around at the thousands of eyes gazing down upon them. Both teens swallowed heavily.

Genma rubbed his hands briskly with a chortle, his eyes alight. He stepped up to the table quickly, took the other permission form, and filled it out for his son. Taking his hanko from the box, he affixed his stamp then placed the form back with the others.

"Well?" Mist inquired, narrowed eyes pinning the two nervous teenagers. Her tone conveyed both impatience and iron determination.

The pair's eyes swept around again, sensing the weight of expectation emanating from the assembled masses. They turned to regard one another again, both looks imploring.

"Uh, you know, it is what we wanted. Isn't it?" Akane asked in a whisper.

Ranma swallowed, then whispered back. "Yeah. Not exactly when we expected, maybe, but ... I guess I'm willing, if you are."

Akane gave the slightest of nods, looking more than a bit scared. Ranma stepped up to the table and pulled out the marriage certificate. It was already entirely filled out. With one last pause to gather his courage he picked up his hanko and applied his stamp to the form. Akane instantly repeated his action, almost as if she were afraid to hesitate.

"Congratulations again," Mist said.

Lotion reached into the box and picked up the two rings. "Akane's father sent these along as well. He said they were the rings that were supposed to be used the last time he and Genma tried to get the two of you 'hitched.' He figured you could use them now."

Ranma picked up one of the rings and lifted Akane's left hand in his. He took a deep breath and seemed to stand straighter. "Interesting day, eh? It's not what we planned, but, well, that's okay. I'm glad, I think. Um, I don't remember too much about what usually happens in weddings, but ..." His voice became more serious, as he intoned, "With this ring, I thee wed." He slipped the ring on Akane's finger.

Tears were leaking out of Akane's eyes. She picked up the other ring and whispered, "With this ring, I thee wed." With a bit of effort she forced the ring onto Ranma's finger.

The two of them suddenly grabbed each other in a tight hug, kissing again. There were scattered cheers from the crowd. When they came up for air they were led to an aisle perpendicular to the ones from which they had entered. They climbed the steps along this one together. As they neared the top Akane caught a glimpse of Shampoo for the first time that day.

Shampoo had watched the proceedings stoically, telling herself repeatedly that it would be over soon. At the last minute, as the new bride and groom were leaving, her eye and Akane's met. Shampoo was prepared to see her rival gloating, and had steeled herself against it. What she hadn't prepared herself for was pity. It lanced through her with the pain of a sword thrust, nearly making her cry out, as she wished desperately that Akane had chosen to gloat instead. Shampoo's legs trembled but did not fail her, and she turned her face away to stare at the bottom of the amphitheater.

Akane wished that there was something she could do for Shampoo, but knew that only time could heal the girl's wound. With an effort she cast aside the gloomy thought. Against all expectation she and Ranma were married, really and truly married, and Akane set aside her doubts, worries and fears, and gave herself over to the happiness which was filling her.

From beside her, Akane's new husband suddenly said, "I just realized. I got no idea what happens next. I mean, it's still pretty early in the afternoon."

Akane turned her face to him. "You haven't had anything to eat since breakfast. Aren't you hungry?"

Ranma stared at her, amazed that recent events had taken his mind completely off of his stomach. "Well, uh, yeah. Now that you mention it."

Akane smiled at him. "Then what do you say we attend the reception that's been prepared? Not that you have a choice, of course. There'll be plenty of food."

"Sounds good," he said, smiling in return. Hand in hand, they walked down the road together.

* * *

The afternoon was one, long, extended party. Food was present in abundance, much to Ranma's and Genma's delight. There was dancing, which Ranma and Akane, both the jealous sorts, mostly did with each other. Mousse did take one dance with Akane, and Lotion and another elder insisted on a dance apiece with Ranma. The groom returned from his dance with the latter blushing furiously, and refused to tell Akane why.

There were several interminable speeches. Before Genma was finished with his numerous people were murmuring threats to kill him in order to get him to shut up and sit back down. A group of children sang a song to the new wife and her husband, beautiful to hear but hard to follow given their level of fluency in the language. Which was just as well as it went on at some length with wishes for their fertility. Numerous contests were held, with prizes. Mousse defeated several other people to win at knife throwing.

The festivities wound down when they gathered indoors once again for the evening meal. Several dishes were brought specifically to Ranma, containing foods reputed to enhance virility, a point which Akane did not miss and which caused her considerable embarrassment. Ranma failed to pick up on their nature and no one saw fit to enlighten him, least of all his new wife, so he simply ate in blissful ignorance.

At the end of the feast Akane was suddenly and unexpectedly whisked away. Several men grabbed Ranma and lifted him in their arms, laughing merrily. They carted him off to a different building and dumped him into a tub of water, steaming hot in deference to his curse instead of the ice cold it would normally be on such occasions. His braid was untied and his hair brushed until it shone and fell in waves around his shoulders. The men laughingly refused to allow Ranma to tie it back once more. Freshly scrubbed, they presented him with a set of silk pajamas to wear, and a robe to wear for the walk outside. Then they escorted him to Jade's house.

They were met at the door by Jade herself, who was just stepping out together with Lotion. Both gave Ranma lascivious grins, which he could not help but find disturbing, particularly on a face as wrinkled and leathery as the elder's. With a chuckle Jade told him, "Enjoy yourself, little stud. I'm staying the night with a friend. You and Akane have the house all to yourselves." She gathered up the escort and they all marched away, leaving Ranma standing outside the door by himself.

He almost ran off in panic. From somewhere he found the courage to walk forward and into the house. He carefully locked the door behind himself. The interior was fairly dark, the only light that which came in through the windows.

"Akane?" he called tentatively.

"In here," a tremulous voice answered.

Ranma followed the sound, giving a low curse as his shin bumped into something. He found a doorway and stepped through, where he could just make out Akane's silhouette kneeling on a bed facing him. Her back was near a wall at the side of the bed, and the light coming in through the window did little to illuminate her. Without thinking, Ranma flipped the light switch on the wall, but nothing happened.

"What the hell?" he said.

"I removed all the light bulbs," came the quiet answer.

Ranma blinked. "Uh, why?"

Her voice sounded shaky, but whether from anger or embarrassment it was hard to tell. "You wouldn't _believe_ what they gave me to wear. They took away everything else. Said they'd bring my clothes back in the morning."

Ranma swallowed heavily. Twice. "Oh," he squeaked.

Akane sighed, then patted the bed beside her. "Come over here and sit down, Ranma. I'd like to ... talk to you. Before ... before ... anything else."

Ranma nervously stepped forward and sat down beside her. A little more boldly, he reached out and took Akane's hand in his. In the dim light he was just able to make out the smile she gave him. The smile he had come to know and love so well. Akane's smile. His _wife's_ smile.

Akane looked at the dim figure of Ranma sitting beside her in the dark room. "So, we're really married, huh?"

"Seems that way," Ranma replied carefully. "Not something we'd planned on, but ... I'm okay with it. I think. If you are."

"It's okay," she told him reassuringly. "I _am_ happy. We were planning to get married anyway, we just thought we'd have more time to get used to the idea."

"Yeah." Ranma ran a hand through his long hair nervously. "It's been a pretty crazy day."

Akane gave a light snort. "It's been a pretty crazy few weeks, I'd say." She paused, then with a hitch in her throat said, "Ranma, what do you want to do tonight? Honestly?"

The young man holding her hand stiffened, sensing a trap. "You got to be kidding me! You expect me to give an honest answer to a question like that? Any answer I gave would scare me to death."

"Yes, I want you to give me an honest answer." Akane licked her dry lips before she went on. "Look, we're married. We've got to stop acting like children. Most importantly, we've got to learn, some way, how to talk to each other. About anything, everything, we need to talk about. I promise, I really and truly promise, I won't hit you or get angry no matter what you say."

Ranma said nothing right away. Akane kept quiet, allowing the silence to build, waiting, hoping that he could find words to fill it. Several minutes passed.

Finally Ranma burst out, "Dammit! The honest answer is I ain't sure _what_ I want!"

Akane patted his hand. "That's all right. I'm feeling confused too. I know what's _supposed_ to happen on a wedding night. Part of me even wants it. A small part. Most of me is terrified of the idea."

Ranma squeezed her hand tighter. "I'd never hurt you, Akane. You know that."

She leaned her arm against his, rested her head on his shoulder. "I know. We talked about this just a couple of nights ago. About how we expected to take months to prepare ourselves. So tell me. Do _you_ think that we're ready to, uh, you know, um ..." The young woman paused and sighed. "Look at me. I can't even say it. So much for talking honestly about anything." There was a touch of bitterness at the end, frustration at her own hesitation. Akane's expression grew stern and she forced the words outs, "Do you really think that we're ready to ... m-make love?"

Her husband turned toward her and stroked a fingertip gently along her cheek, as he remembered the conversation with Prince Herb the previous evening. "Honestly? I can't think of anything I want more. At the same time, no, I don't think we're ready. Like you said, we talked about this. You, me, we both need more time. Hell, we've barely kissed! I kinda expected to do some more of that, before we got married." Greatly daring, he added, "Maybe a few other things, too."

Akane lifted her free arm and pressed her hand against his chest. "Thank you," she whispered. "That's how I feel. I'm just not ready yet. I need time to get used to this, to acting like this with you. I promise, I won't make you wait until we graduate."

Ranma gave a shaky laugh. "That _would_ be a bit rough."

Akane leaned over and rested her cheek against him. "So, tonight." She hesitated. "Maybe ... maybe we could go to bed and spend some time ... kissing? I kind of liked the kissing." Another hesitation. "Maybe even ... just a little bit more?"

"I'd like that," Ranma said huskily. "But I don't want you feeling you need to do anything you ain't comfortable with. Kissing's enough for me right now. A little more might be nice too, as long as we both want it."

"Okay," Akane croaked, her throat suddenly dry. "Then I suppose we should ... get in bed."

As Akane started to get up, Ranma's hand holding hers pulled back, stopping her. "What is it?" she asked.

"Do you think ...?" He hesitated. "Do you think, maybe, we could put the light bulb back? So I could see my wife while I kiss her?"

Akane felt her face flame. "Oh God! But this thing is so ... so ..."

The dark hid her blush, but it came through clearly in her voice. Ranma's lips found hers, kissed them gently. "You're beautiful Akane, despite anything I've said in the past. I want to see you, while I kiss you. If you're really that uncomfortable, I'll give you my pajama top. But, you know, we've seen each other before."

Akane hesitated, responded, "I suppose ... it is our wedding night. I ... okay."

She stood up, pulled open a drawer and took something out of it. She fiddled with a lamp for a minute, then Ranma heard her take a deep breath. With a click, light filled the small room.

Akane had her back to him. She was wearing a powder blue gown which flowed down along her body and stopped just above the floor. It was so sheer as to be practically transparent. Her bare back and legs were easily visible, as was the treasure in between, clad in a brief pair of slightly more opaque panties.

When she slowly turned around, face bright red and eyes fixed on her feet, Ranma saw that the degree of transparency in front varied, following a design which he shortly deciphered as a sinuous dragon. It left the eye wondering just what was part of the design and what one might be seeing underneath. The effect was intriguing. More than that, it quite successfully stole his breath away.

After a few moments he managed to choke out, "You, uh ... you look ... fantastic!"

Akane blushed even harder, but also smiled at her feet. She came back over to the bed slowly. Ranma took her hands in his and she sat down beside him, then gasped as she finally looked at him.

"Wh-what is it?" he asked nervously.

"Your ... hair," Akane said slowly. "I don't think I've seen it like that since that dragon's whisker incident."

Ranma ran a hand through the long locks, worried. "Yeah, the guys insisted. Wouldn't let me tie it back. Is it ... is it okay?"

Akane nodded slowly, then smiled, reaching up and running her own hand through his hair. She bit her lip softly, then closed her eyes and leaned in for a brief kiss. They allowed their bodies to gradually recline until they were lying side by side, facing one another. For a while they just looked deep into each other's eyes, the hands of their uppermost arms clasped once more. Slowly, Ranma moved his face forward, Akane closed her eyes, and they kissed again.

For the next couple of hours the young couple held each other close, whispering soft words, gently kissing.

And a little bit more.

* * *

**Author's note:**

And so, they are married. I could end it here. But instead there will be one more chapter, titled "Life Goes On." It's mostly an epilogue, in which the newlyweds return to Japan and things are wrapped up.

It's almost Christmas. If you're in the mood for a Christmas story, and have not previously read it, I'd like to suggest my story _The Wanderer's Gift_, written for Christmas 2006. It's a waffy but not sickeningly sweet tale which takes place several years after Akane and Ranma are married.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	12. Life Goes On

**Fighting Chance  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Cologne and Shampoo trick Ranma into following Akane to China, but Akane is fast on the trail. When the Amazons choose to fight for Ranma, will Akane be able to defeat overwhelming odds to save him? Will Akane or Shampoo be the one to win her happy ending?

* * *

**Chapter 12. Life Goes On**

Akane woke slowly, caught up in a familiar dream, the one in which she and Ranma were together and not fighting. Quite the opposite of fighting, in fact. It was one of the most vivid of its kind to date. She could still feel his arms around her, still smell the scent of him - warm, male, with just the hint of good, clean sweat. She could even hear the faint susurration of breath which was not quite snoring, feel it tickling the hairs on top of her head.

Opening her eyes slowly, she was momentarily confused to find the dream made real, but then the memories from yesterday rushed back in to calm her. She lay on her side with her nose tucked into his neck, his chin on top of her head, his arms around her, her own hands ...

Akane became aware that one of her hands was tucked under Ranma's shoulder, while the other was gripping the silk of his pajamas. She nearly choked a moment later on realizing that it wasn't his pajama top her hand was holding, and that her fingers were gripping more than cloth. Akane instantly released her hold and moved her shaking hand up to Ranma's chest.

Early morning sunlight was streaming in through the window, filling the room with light. It came to the young woman with a sense of her own foolishness that her ploy with the light bulb last night was doomed to failure, that she could not possibly hide herself from Ranma's sight this morning. Not that she really wanted to, despite a lingering mortification over how very undressed this outfit made her feel.

Pulling her head back carefully, Akane looked up into Ranma's peacefully sleeping face, framed by long hair draped across the pillow. With a tender smile she traced a fingertip along the back edge of his ear, while wondering in what state he would awake. She knew from long experience that Ranma wasn't always the easiest person to wake up in the morning, and it might be amusing if he was initially disoriented and worked himself into a screaming panic over finding himself in bed with her. On the whole, though, she would prefer that he awaken remembering that they were married.

Her new husband stirred under her arm. He snorted, batting a hand at his ear. Opening his eyes, he blinked a couple of times, then closed them again. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of her. His arms tightened on her a little, he leaned closer. "Mmm, Akane, I ..." He kissed her forehead softly. "... love ..." He gave her a peck on the tip of her nose. "... you." Ranma pressed his lips firmly to hers.

When he broke the kiss, Ranma moved back a little so that she could see his face again, his eyes still closed and looking wonderfully at ease. He continued speaking quietly. "Last night was ... no, wait." His cheeks reddened. "That was a dream. Uh, hang on, I'll get this right." Ignoring her raised eyebrows, he kissed her again. "Okay, I remember last night now. And it _was_ wonderful. You're wonderful, and I love being married to you. And one morning that's not going to just be a dream."

"You ..." Akane kissed him. "... had better be happy I'm in such a good mood this morning. Now come on, let's get up."

"Don't wanna," he told her drowsily, lingering sleep making him drawl the words. "I like it fine right where I am." In illustration of the point, he tightened his arms around her.

Akane slapped his chest lightly with her palm. "Well I'm sorry, but I have to get up. Now come on, be a good boy."

Ranma groaned but rolled over and up to a sitting position at the side of the bed, his feet on the floor. Akane did likewise, then stood awkwardly, her arms draped across herself to hide what she could.

"Hang on a sec," Ranma said. He quickly unbuttoned his pajama top, shrugged it off and handed it to her. As she took it from him, he noted her raised eyebrow. "You looked uncomfortable," he told her.

Akane smiled. "Thanks." She quickly slipped her hands through the sleeves and wrapped it around herself, saying, "I just wish they hadn't taken all my clothes." With that, Akane stepped out into the hall and then into the bathroom.

Ranma sighed, running a hand through his hair. He stood up and padded out of the bedroom as well. Stopping outside the bathroom door, he said loudly, "I'm gonna step outside and see what I can do about our clothes. If you wanna take a bath, I should have found something by the time you're done."

"Okay," came the disembodied voice. "Thanks."

No sooner had Ranma stepped outside the door than someone hailed him. It was Konatsu, and she approached carrying a couple of packs, which she held out toward him once she was close enough. "Your father packed your things last night, and I packed for Akane-sama. Elder Lotion said we could leave whenever you wish so long as it's this morning, and your father wants to get on the road as soon as possible. Will you be very long? He seems most anxious."

Ranma smiled. "Just ignore the old man when he gets pushy. I mostly do. Akane's taking a bath right now, and I'd like one too. Then I'd like some breakfast. After that we can say our good-byes and get on our way."

Konatsu returned the smile. "Would you like me to see if I can find you some breakfast? I've not eaten yet either."

"If you don't mind, thanks. In fact, why don't you join us for breakfast? We should be dressed by then." Hefting the packs, Ranma turned and reentered the house.

As he carried the packs back toward the bedroom, Ranma heard a splash while passing the bathroom door. He knocked and said, "I've got our packs. They'll be in the bedroom."

Akane's voice called out, "Could you get out some clothes and bring them to me?"

The young man stared at the door, gulping, as sweat broke out on his forehead. "You want me to go through your _clothes_? I mean, I'd need to get you underwear and everything!"

There was a loud thump from inside the bathroom. Ranma pressed his hands flat against the door, his face close to it, as if he could psychically determine what had just happened. "Hey! Are you okay?!"

"Um, yeah," came the embarrassed response. "I, uh, slipped and fell. But I'm all right. Didn't hit my head or anything."

"Don't scare me like that!" Ranma complained.

"Yeah, well ..." There was no further sound for a long pause, then Akane said, "Just so we're clear, you are _not_ to go through my pack and get my clothes. Understand? I, uh, don't know what I was thinking just then. But could you, maybe, slide my pack in through the door?"

"You sure?" Ranma queried, his voice sounding just a little high pitched to his ears.

There was a sigh from inside. "Yes, I'm sure. I _would_ like to get dressed. I've got a towel wrapped around me in case you have one of your usual accidents ... but you better not."

Ranma opened the door partway, trying not to peek. Holding the knob to keep it from opening any further, he tried to push the pack through. He opened the door a little further, and still there wasn't room to get the pack between the door and the wall, and past the pipe under the sink. Struggling to make it work, his hand slipped off the knob, the pressure from the pack shoved the door all of the way open, and Ranma fell full length across the pack.

The young man groaned quietly and lay there, awaiting his doom. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a pair of bare feet pad over quietly, to stand beside him. Expecting to be sent flying through the roof, he was surprised to be grabbed by his collar and hauled up to his feet. There he found himself face to face with Akane, a tilted smile on her face, her head shaking slowly from side to side. One corner of his mind noted that she looked quite fetching wearing only a towel.

"Baka!" Akane declared, and rapped him sharply over the head. Ranma bowed his head down under the ineffective blow, belatedly closing his eyes. He heard Akane sigh again, then she said, "I suppose we are married now, but ... try to be more careful, huh?" A kiss was planted on the top of his head where he had been struck. "Now get out and let me get dressed."

Not sure how to handle this unexpected turn, Ranma backed out of the room, bumping into the door on his way out. When he shut it he turned around and leaned his back against the door, letting out a heavy breath. "Damn," was all that he could find to say.

Konatsu showed up with breakfast for three while Ranma was in the bathroom. The latter could hear Akane and Konatsu laughing in the other room, but this was the last bath he'd likely get for several days, so he wasn't going to rush it. Then Genma showed up shortly after Ranma joined the other two, angry at having been kept waiting. He began complaining about how they should have already been on their way, all the while greedily stuffing his face with his son's breakfast.

After the table was cleared, Genma hefted his pack onto his back, obviously expecting that they were finally to be on their way. He was thus even more incensed to learn that Akane and Ranma both planned to find some people and say good-bye to them. The couple ignored his spluttering outrage as they took off, suggesting that he carry their packs over to the challenge log, and they'd meet him there when they were done.

It didn't really take them all that long though. They hunted down Lotion first, at her own house, and both of them thanked her for everything that she'd done for them. The elder scathingly told them that she'd done it for herself, and her people, and that the sooner Ranma was out of the village the happier she'd be. Nobody mentioned the way she refused to meet their eyes while saying this.

They had a few quick words with Jade and her husband, then the other guards. Prince Herb was quite surprised when they looked him up at the guest house which had been lent for the use of him and his retinue. The leave-taking between Herb and Ranma was gruff but both managed to avoid antagonizing the other. They ran into Meifen on the lane to Mousse's house. She exchanged a quick good-bye then turned aside, as if suddenly remembering someplace else she was supposed to be going.

The final conversation with Mousse was strained, as he and Ranma had hardly ever been friends, despite the Chinese boy's mostly silent participation in the wedding the day before. Nonetheless Akane in particular wanted to thank Mousse for all of his help on the way to the village, and to express her wish that things would work out for him. In the end, Ranma and Mousse exchanged stiff but sincere bows, then Akane and Ranma turned and headed back up the lane toward the fairground where they were to rendezvous with Genma and Konatsu.

As they hefted the packs onto their backs, Akane looked over to where a new challenge log had already been suspended from the ropes. "Is it my imagination?" she asked. "Or is that log thicker than the previous one?"

Everyone else looked at it as well. It was Konatsu who answered. "I believe it must be mostly your imagination, Akane-sama. I watched them put it up, and it is at most a few centimeters wider than the one you broke. However, before they put it up, several elders conferred over it, touching it and speaking words I could not catch. When I asked, I was told they were making sure that this one couldn't be broken the same way."

Akane smiled but said, "Fine by me. I hope I never find myself up there again."

Ranma looked around. A few people were visible, none very close. "Looks like we're not going to get a big send off."

"What were you expecting?" Akane asked severely. "A parade? Come on, let's get out of here. I wish we were home already."

Of course, however much she might wish it, they couldn't be back home immediately. They still had to cross a large portion of China and get across the sea between. Akane and Ranma shared a tent on the nights they camped, but did not take things any further than on their wedding night. In part this was because they were tired from each day's march, and needed their sleep for the next day, but it was also because they were very much aware of the proximity of Konatsu and, more particularly, Genma.

On one occasion Akane and Ranma were sparring while hiking down a road. Akane managed to slip inside Ranma's guard, but instead of taking the opportunity to hit him she instead kissed him on the nose. He was so startled that he froze, and Akane pulled him into a quick hug, laying her cheek against his. "Ranma," she whispered into his ear, "if you can catch me, maybe I'll let you help me undress in the tent tonight."

While he was gawking she took the opportunity to throw him over her shoulder into a stream. Akane ran down the road, laughing, trying half-heartedly to stay out of reach of the dripping, fiery-eyed, red-haired girl who was chasing her.

* * *

The four weary travelers didn't even pause at the gate, quickly pushing it open and stepping into the yard. A few paces further and they were inside the front door, dropping packs on the floor and kicking off shoes. "We're home!" called Akane.

"My little girl! You're all right!" wailed Soun as he ran down the hall and swept Akane into his arms. Tears were running down his face. "I was so worried!"

"Of course I'm all right, dad," she told him, half happy and half embarrassed. "There was never anything to worry about."

"Well, I see you got him back," Nabiki said, nodding her head toward Ranma. "Did you have any trouble?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Akane replied seriously.

"And did you ... Oh, you did!" Kasumi said gleefully, staring at the rings on Akane's and Ranma's fingers and clapping her hands. "Congratulations!"

Soun squeezed Akane even harder, causing her to nearly pass out. "My little girl is m-m-married! I'm so happy!" He suddenly released her, then grabbed Ranma and crushed the boy to his chest. "Son-in-law!"

While Kasumi and Nabiki both hugged Akane more circumspectly, Ranma tried to choke out, "F-Father." This only caused Soun to squeeze even harder, and to increase the volume of his tears. Ranma wheezed, "Tendo-san! Can't breathe!" It took the combined effort of Akane and Genma to pry Soun's arms loose.

Ranma glanced around while getting his breath back. "Where's my mom?" he inquired curiously.

Nabiki answered. "She moved back into her house after Akane and your father left to chase after you. You'd better call her and let her know you're back."

"All of you must be famished," Kasumi said cheerfully. "Why don't you go sit in the family room, and I'll bring in some tea and a snack. Then you can tell us everything that happened during your adventure."

"To tell you the truth," Ranma suggested wearily, "I wouldn't mind bathing before we eat. If that's not too much trouble, um, oneesan?"

Nabiki mimed a heart attack. "_You're_ putting off eating? Who are you, and what have you done with our Ranma?" she demanded.

Despite her sister's theatrics, Kasumi smiled and said, "Of course, Ranma-kun." She turned to Konatsu. "Would you also like to make use of our furoba?" Kasumi offered. "You could bathe while Ranma speaks to his mother."

Konatsu was quite touched by this offer, and gratefully accepted. Doing so was all the easier as it meant further postponing the upcoming meeting with Ukyo, about which she was very nervous.

Ranma walked over to the telephone and called his mother, surprising her greatly with the news of their return. Nodoka was ecstatic to hear that her son was fine and back home, telling him over and over how worried she had been. Eventually, she tearfully exclaimed that she'd be right there and said good-bye. Ranma hung up the telephone and went in search of his wife. He found her in the kitchen, quietly reassuring her sisters that she was, really and truly, in perfect health.

"Oh, here's your husband," Kasumi said cheerfully. "I suppose the two of you would like to go take your bath now."

"Yeah, sure," Ranma responded absent-mindedly. "Why don't you go on ahead Akane? Let me know when you're done."

Akane turned toward Ranma, but both of them froze at the sight of Kasumi staring at the young man as if he'd grown an extra head. "But ... naturally the two of you will use the furoba together. After all, you're married now. It would be silly to waste time bathing separately."

Both Akane and Ranma flushed scarlet, so flustered that they could not speak at first, much to Nabiki's amusement. Finally Akane started to stutter some feeble excuse, but Kasumi was having none of it. "Now there's no need for the two of you to continue pretending to be so shy around each other," she told them, placing a hand behind each of their backs and gently persuading them down the hall. "Hurry and wash up so Uncle Saotome can have his turn, before his wife arrives. Go on, now, shoo!" She gave them a last push, and turned around, heading back toward her kitchen.

Bemused and unsure of themselves, Akane and Ranma entered the changing room just as Konatsu was leaving. She gave them a smile and a nod on the way out, obviously seeing nothing wrong with the couple being in there together. Their backs to each other, the two of them nervously removed their clothing, unable to believe they were doing this. Without discussing it, they each quickly slipped on a yukata to cover their nudity. Then they turned as one and confronted the door to the bathing room.

After regarding the door in silence for a couple of minutes, Akane said, "Well, I guess we _have_ been sleeping together since the wedding. I suppose this _is_ the next logical step." She was playing with the knot holding her yukata closed, and sounded as if she were trying to convince herself just as much as Ranma.

"We may have been sleeping together," Ranma retorted, "but we ain't been _sleeping_ together. Are you sure we're, uh, ready for this?" He was carefully not looking in her direction, worried how she might react if he did.

Akane sighed, thinking longingly of the water in the next room. She felt as though she were carrying a road's worth of dirt and dust on her body. Besides, wasn't it time that she accepted the fact that the boy, no, the man beside her was her husband? Strengthening her resolve, Akane told him, "_I'm_ going to bathe. What you do is up to you."

Picking up a towel and her basket of bathing supplies, she slid the door open and stepped into the inner room. After hesitating for one last moment, she untied the knot and let the light garment slide off her shoulders and drop to the floor. Akane heard a gasp, which brought a small smile to her lips, a smile the young man behind her couldn't see. She slowly strolled over and sat on the stool, beginning to wash herself.

For one glorious moment after her yukata fell, Ranma took in the sight before him, then spun around blushing furiously. He couldn't _believe_ that Akane had just done that. Not _his_ Akane. Not the girl who had always bashed him whenever she so much as _thought_ he might have something perverted on his mind. But she had.

Of course, she was his wife. Wasn't she? Hell, yes, she was. And that meant it was all right to do this, right? Again, yes, except he hadn't expected Akane to see it that way so soon. He knew that they'd eventually do things like this, that they just needed time to adjust to the idea of being married, it was just ... he had thought _Akane_ would be the one to take longer to adjust.

From inside the bathing room, Ranma heard a loud splash, surmising that Akane had poured water over herself to rinse. Then she called to him. "Just come on in, baka. I promise I won't look. Much."

Feeling flustered, Ranma heard this as a challenge. Steeling himself, he removed his own garment, gathered his things, and walked in. He almost stumbled on catching sight of Akane, as she stood and walked over to the furo. Controlling himself, Ranma tried to be nonchalant as he bathed himself, transforming into a girl as he did so. Finishing up, he walked over to the furo himself, then hesitated for a moment before climbing in. Akane gave him a small, bashful nod, and he sank into the water, instantly becoming male once more.

Deciding that he had to show he could handle this as well as his wife appeared to be doing, Ranma slid over and took Akane into his arms, holding her. At that point, he realized that she was putting on a brave front herself, as he could feel the slight trembling she tried to mask. The two of them sat there together for a time, gradually growing relaxed in the hot water, coming to accept the close contact. It was with a sensation of mild reluctance that they finally decided it was time to climb out and get dressed.

By the time everyone was gathered in the family room Nodoka had arrived, and tearfully hugged her son and new daughter-in-law. Everyone settled down and Akane and Ranma, with a few interjections from the other two, told the story of their travels. Akane blushed under the congratulations that everyone gave her for her victory in the tournament. A few minutes later Soun found himself on the receiving end of very intense looks from his daughter and son-in-law when they described the end of the wedding ceremony, and the surprise at finding the Amazons had all the forms necessary to make the marriage legal. He squirmed under their combined stares and almost started crying again before they admitted that they weren't really angry with him.

"And so you two are finally married," Nodoka proclaimed happily, eyes becoming moist. "I'm so, so happy for you. I suppose that means you will continue to live here, Ranma-kun, with your wife. My husband will of course return to our home to live with me."

A scared look suddenly entered Genma's eyes.

"Oh! I haven't even thought about what room you'll have!" Kasumi cried. "I've just been so worried about you both, I never ... no matter. We'll take care of it now. Akane, I really think your room is too small for the both of you. Since Uncle Saotome is moving out, I think we can turn the guest room into a bedroom for you and my new brother. Your old bedroom can become a guest room."

"If you really think that's best," Akane said uncertainly.

"Of course it is!" Kasumi exclaimed, cheerful again. "And with Father and Uncle Saotome here to help, we can get all of the furniture rearranged in no time! You'll see."

Under Nodoka's prodding the two older men did indeed help out, and in very little time Genma's belongings were all packed up and Akane's things were moved into her and Ranma's new bedroom. She and Ranma stood in the room afterward, looking around themselves. Akane summed up their feelings when she announced, "It'll do."

Konatsu joined them for supper, then asked if they could put her up for the night, which they were more than happy to do. She explained that she did not wish to trouble Ukyo with her return while the restaurant was open, when the chef would be busy, and also felt it unfair to show up during the short interval after closing before Ukyo would go to bed. On the whole she'd prefer to make her appearance in the morning before the restaurant work began, when there would be time for explanations.

In the morning Ranma accompanied Konatsu over to Ucchan's. He felt he owed it to Ukyo to be the one to break the news to her about his marriage. Akane remained behind, grudgingly agreeing with Ranma that it would probably be too painful for Ukyo to face her on hearing this news.

When they knocked on the restaurant door Ukyo approached it slowly, staring through the glass. She finally unlocked and opened the door, still staring at Ranma, her eyes hard. When she spoke, her voice was cold. "What are you doing here, Saotome-san? Uh, glad you made it back to Japan okay. I guess." She turned to Konatsu, then pulled her into a hug. "Welcome home, Konatsu-kun. I ... uh ..."

Ukyo pulled back, looked down. She reached a hand forward and prodded gently. Then she stretched her hand out and grabbed the doorjamb, feeling faint. "You stopped by Jusenkyo, I take it?" Her voice was about an octave higher than normal.

"Um, yeah." Ranma looked at the people around them on the street. "Can we go inside?"

Ukyo sighed and stepped back inside her restaurant. Ranma held the door open while Konatsu followed after, wearing her pack. Ranma made sure that the "Closed" sign was still in place when he shut the door. They all trooped into the back, where Konatsu dumped the pack into her small room and then joined Ranma and Ukyo at a small table.

Facing the ninja, Ukyo became all sympathy. "I'm really sorry about your accident. Though I guess that's what happens when you let this jerk take you near those pools."

"Er, what accident Ukyo-sama?" Konatsu inquired.

Ukyo stared. "Your curse. It was an accident, right?"

"Not, um, exactly," Ranma answered.

"It was my idea," Konatsu said nervously. "Ranma-sama and Akane-sama did their best to talk me out of it, but in the end I decided it was the right choice for me."

Ranma squirmed a little. "We weren't exactly trying to talk you out of it. Just trying to make sure you really knew what you were doing. And you gotta remember you really caught us by surprise when you told us you were thinking about it."

Ukyo was staring at Konatsu. "You mean you did it on _purpose_?! Why?"

Konatsu clutched her hands together in her lap, wilting a little under the intense look. "Please try to understand. All my life I knew myself to be a girl. Up until you rescued me. I feel _right_ this way."

The okonomiyaki chef couldn't stop staring. "It just seems so ... extreme."

"Am I still welcome here?" Konatsu asked plaintively.

"Huh?!" Ukyo sat back in shock. "What're you talking about? Of course you're welcome here! I mean, if I was willing to put up with this two-timing clod ..." She nodded in Ranma's direction. "... despite his curse, what makes you think I'd throw you out?"

"Thank you, Ukyo-sama," Konatsu whispered, eyes glistening.

Ukyo turned toward Ranma, her expression changing to a glower. "So, they managed to pull your nuts out of the fire. I'm not unhappy about that - I don't hate you that much. Why're you _here_, though? Are you really so insensitive you can't understand you're the last person I want to see right now? Or were you really scared I'd throw Konatsu out because he, she, whatever, got cursed? I'm not ... uh, not ..." She was staring at the finger on Ranma's left hand.

Ranma looked down, wishing he didn't have to do this. To hurt his old friend like this. "No, I ain't here because of Konatsu. God knows I don't wanna hurt you any more than I already have, Ukyo. But, I had to be the one to tell you. About this." He touched the index finger of his right hand to the gold ring on his left. "It would of been the coward's way out to let someone else tell you."

Ukyo swallowed heavily, closed her eyes. It wasn't like she hadn't seen this coming, just not so soon. Her voice was hoarse as she asked, "You and Akane, I presume? Pretty fast work, Saotome."

"Uh, it wasn't exactly our idea to do it so fast," Ranma said thickly. "The Amazons kinda tricked us into it as part of getting me out of having to marry Shampoo. Didn't really leave us a choice."

"Ranma-sama speaks the truth," Konatsu confirmed worriedly.

The chef was paying no attention to her waitress, only staring miserably at her former fiancé. "I never really stood a chance with you, did I?" Ukyo asked, her voice breaking. "Why couldn't you've told me from the _start_?"

Ranma sounded as if he were in pain. "I wish I had too. But I was pretty stupid back then. About a lot of things. Didn't know what I wanted."

Ukyo choked as she fought against tears. So much wasted time. So much wasted effort. Why had she pursued him so blindly for so long? "I don't know if I would have listened even if you had told me. Go on and get outa here Saotome. Give ... give Akane my congratulations, okay? Tell her I don't hold it against her, not really. I'd appreciate it if the two of you don't come around for a while though. For that matter, I'd appreciate it if you don't even speak to me. I'm gonna need time ... time to reclaim my life. Figure out how to start living for me."

Ranma stood. "I'll tell her. And I hope it goes without saying, but we both wish you well." He turned to the ninja. "Take care of her, Konatsu. Okay?" With that he turned around and left, letting himself out.

Ukyo wrapped her arms around herself. "Oh God! Why does it still hurt so much?" Tears started running down her cheeks.

Konatsu scooted over and pulled her close, holding Ukyo's head against her shoulder. "Go ahead and cry, Ukyo-sama. You'll feel better. And remember, I'm here for you." They remained like that for a long time, and were late opening the restaurant for lunch.

* * *

Akane and Ranma went over to the Kuno estate that afternoon. It wasn't their first visit to the place, but all previous occasions held bad memories and consequently they were both on the alert. After a servant showed them to a parlor, a few minutes passed before they heard a loud, chortling laugh echo down the hall. Kodachi emerged with a bounce, her brother a step behind, holding the hilt of a katana.

"Ranma-sama! You came ...!" Kodachi started. However, she was cut off from her attempted embrace as Akane stepped between the other girl and her target.

Akane said not a word. She merely held her left hand up between them, fingers pointed toward the ceiling, the back of the hand facing the gymnast. The gold ring glittered, drawing the eye. Kodachi's breath hissed inward for several long seconds.

Behind her, her brother reeled backward, bracing himself against the wall. His blade buried itself to half its length in the expensive wood paneling.

Kodachi's mouth worked angrily, seeking something to say. She raised a hand as if for a slap, and Akane tensed, ready to defend herself. There was no need, however, as Kodachi found herself unable to swing the hand forward. Looking over at the cause for this failure, the gymnast found herself looking straight into Ranma's eyes, and through them into some deep and cold hell. The hand tightened on her wrist menacingly, crushing some final hope within her spirit. The young woman wilted before his gaze, letting her hand drop back down when he released it.

It was all suddenly too much for Kodachi. Her humiliation the last time she had encountered Akane. That Ranma had not chosen her. That they had come to her home merely to gloat. The shame crashed over her until she could bear no more.

She lifted her chin and sniffed loudly. In her haughtiest voice Kodachi told Ranma, "Do you imagine that I care? I decided weeks ago that you are not worthy to receive my attentions, and I have already begun to pursue more choice game. It is obvious that you have no taste whatsoever," her eyes flickered to Akane and back, "and this trollop is more than welcome to such a worthless husband if she wants him. I ... I have better things to do ... than to stand here ..."

Kodachi had already turned on her heels before she finished speaking, falling silent rather than risk letting them hear her voice break. She left the room swiftly, but was careful to walk.

Tatewaki was recovering from the initial shock, and his grip tightened on his blade, slowly pulling it from the wall. He had never before wanted to cut down the foul sorcerer so much as he did at that moment. He could almost see it, the body lying on the floor, the head rolling to the wall, the blood pouring out, Akane screaming ...

His heart contracted painfully on the final image. No, she would be happy! She must be! How could she not be glad to be free of the monster at last! No more of this cursed engagement! Free! Screaming. Widowed.

His blade had pulled free, but the point hung down toward the floor. He tried to speak, but found he could not. Kuno closed his mouth, swallowed, cleared his throat. He tried again.

"Dost ... dost thou truly wish ... this ... this ...?"

"I love him, Kuno-senpai," Akane told the boy simply. "And he loves me. I am bound in honor to Ranma, and if I were to lose him I would lose everything."

Tatewaki raised his katana, then slowly slid it home in its sheath. He was staring off into some far distance, and it was only with difficulty that he shook himself and returned his attention to his present location.

"I ... cannot give this union my blessing," the young man ground out arrogantly. "But ... neither will I give it my curses. I believe you will in time come to regret your decision. If so, do not look to me. I wash my hands of this matter."

Akane's eyes flashed, but she somehow managed to hold her tongue. Ranma just shook his head in exasperation.

Tatewaki spoke again, but only to say, "I believe you know the way out? Please leave my home. You are not welcome here."

Ranma passed by the kendoist warily on his way out of the room, but he might as well have been invisible for all the reaction Kuno showed to his presence. He and Akane walked out the door in silence and left the estate, never to set foot there again.

* * *

The next day Kasumi and Nabiki took Akane out shopping in lieu of the wedding gifts they hadn't gotten her. Ranma took the opportunity to make a quick trip out of town to the Unryu farm where, as expected, he found Ryoga. He told the lost boy about everything that had happened, that he and Akane were now married and, most importantly of all, the problem with seeking a cure for their curses.

"Well that just ... sucks," Ryoga said, skipping a stone across the pond beside which they were sitting. "So even if I found my way there I couldn't be cured?"

"Yeah, that's what they all told me," Ranma replied morosely. "Not for a good many years, anyway. Of course, I guess you could always replace the curse by a different one. No guarantee it would be a better one, I guess."

"And Akane, has she said anything recently, you know, about me?"

Ranma picked at some blades of grass. "A little. She's gotten past some of her anger. Not ready to forgive you yet, but ... I was thinking. You planning to propose to Akari anytime soon?"

Ryoga laughed weakly. "Don't know if there's any point. She just assumes we're gonna get married."

"Yeah, but do you want to? Marry her?"

Ryoga sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. I worried for a long time that she just liked my cursed form. But I've come to realize that she really cares. About me. I'm still not used to that. I have trouble believing anyone could. So yeah, I think I do want to marry her." He turned toward Ranma suspiciously. "Why? You're married now, so you think everybody else should be?"

Ranma skipped a stone of his own, frowning when it made one fewer hop than Ryoga's. He immediately started feeling around for another stone. "No, not really. I was just thinking, if you do set a date, and it's say, six months or more off ... Maybe Akane would be ready to come. To the reception at least. For Akari's sake if not for yours. I think it might be a big step toward putting the past behind us."

The other boy frowned. "Yeah, well ... I suppose if you can go and finally marry Akane, maybe I can think about getting serious. If we set a date I'll let you know."

As Ranma stood to leave, he suddenly said, "Hey! How about a little sparring match, for old times sake? Huh?"

An evil glint entered Ryoga's eye, and he kicked out without warning. After all, it wasn't his fault if he hadn't told Ranma how he'd been working out with the sumo pigs every day. Then again, during his description of events in China, Ranma had neglected to mention the weights he'd worn for two weeks. Later that evening Akari mentioned to her bruised fiancé that she'd been down by the pond earlier, and something had torn up the ground around there terribly.

* * *

The first day of school was on the following Monday. With the exception of Yuka and Sayuri, in whom Akane had confided the first night back in town, everyone else was shocked to learn that her name was now Akane Saotome. It also didn't take the other students long to realize that Ukyo's name was not called in the roll. Earlier in the summer she had requested transfer to a different homeroom.

Akane had been thinking of eating lunch with her husband that first day of school, but had no chance. When the lunch bell rang she was immediately surrounded by other girls, and herded off to a corner of the schoolyard. Glares directed at any boys who came near assured their privacy.

"So Akane, what's it like?" one of the girls gushed.

"What's what like? You mean, uh, being married?" Akane asked nervously.

"Of course that's what she means," prodded Yuka. "You haven't told me either. C'mon, spill!"

"It's, uh ..." She stared off into space. Akane had no idea how to answer this. The obvious differences in how her days were lived weren't very great - she slept in the same bedroom with Ranma, and they bathed together, but other than that the daily routine was pretty much the same as before.

The real differences were more mental in nature. The vast relief at knowing that the long struggle was over, that no one would be taking Ranma away from her, that he had openly declared his love for her. That they were slowly learning how to talk more openly. That he was coming to be more at ease with her during their martial arts training. Holding him close at night, kissing, and the caresses they were experimenting with. Akane didn't see how she could really explain any of that.

"It's, uh, not all that different. We share a bedroom now, but the rest of the time is pretty much the same. We're getting along better now. I _feel_ a lot different, but I don't know how to put it into words."

Sayuri gave her friend an exasperated look. "Not _that_ stuff, dummy! We want to know about the _sex_! What's it like?"

Akane felt her face grow hot. "Th-That's private! I'm not gonna talk about that!" Besides, she thought to herself, she'd be mortified if they knew how little she and Ranma had done. Everyone would think her the biggest coward of all time.

"Oh come _on_!" one of the other girls protested. "You're the first girl in our class to get married! You've gotta tell us about it!"

"Hmmph!" replied Akane, studying her bento minutely. "I certainly do _not_ have to tell you about it. And if all you're interested in hearing about is sex, I know for a fact I'm not the first girl in the class. Go pester someone else."

"Yeah, but no one's ever made it with _Ranma_ before," Sayuri wheedled. "I mean, that curse of his has _got_ to complicate things. Or provide opportunities, one or the other. You can't blame us for being curious."

Akane was sure that her face grew even more red. "It's none of your business and I'm _not_ going to talk about it! If that's all you want to know, then this conversation is over!"

"Spoilsport," Yuka said grumpily. "Can you at least tell us about your wedding?"

Akane sighed. "That I can do. I suppose I should start with the feast the night before ..." She went on to describe everything that had happened from that night through the evening meal the next day, carefully stretching out the details to end the story at the bell signaling the next class period. It was with considerable relief that she walked back to the classroom. Also with a touch of worry. There was a look in Yuka's and Sayuri's eyes which said they had not yet given up on the original line of questioning.

* * *

"Ranma," Akane asked in bed that night, "do you think we're weird? Not to have, you know, made love yet? If people found out, I know they'd think we're strange, or chicken at least. Are you unhappy? That I haven't let you?"

Ranma pulled her closer, laying her head against his chest. "Were the girls asking you about it today?" He felt Akane's head nod against his chest. "The guys were bugging me about it too. I damn near killed a couple of 'em, the questions they asked. Daisuke's got more guts than I gave him credit for. He got between me and one of 'em and I pulled my punch just before I hit him."

He sighed. "I guess I can't blame 'em for being curious. It's kinda unusual, us being married and still in high school. And sure, they'd think it's weird, but who the hell cares what they think? With the life my pop and I lived, I learned a long time ago not to care what idiots think. The only person whose opinion I worry about is yours."

Akane snuggled a little closer. "I'll try not to let them get to me. But you didn't answer my question. Are _you_ unhappy? Because I'm making you wait?"

"No," he answered firmly, willing her to believe. "I'm happy, because I'm married to you. Neither one of us was ready to be married yet. When the time is right, I reckon we'll know. Okay?"

"Okay," she said happily, smiling for the first time since lunch. "Would you like me to, uh ... what I did last night?"

He pulled her face up to his and gave her a kiss, by way of reply.

* * *

Days passed. They ran into Ukyo a few times at school. She hadn't spoken to either of them since the term began, but she also didn't go out of her way to avoid them. Nabiki reported that Konatsu had resumed his work as a waitress at Ucchan's, and gave every appearance of being happy. She also reported that Kodachi was receiving brochures for American universities.

Now that Akane and Ranma were safely married, Soun had mostly ceased applying any kind of pressure to them. He seemed content to wait for the graduation to see if they would willingly fulfill his hopes. Nodoka and Genma stopped by the Tendo home each Sunday for lunch, to visit with their son and daughter-in-law. Kasumi, curious about their plans, had an embarrassing talk with Akane on the subject of how soon she might be thinking about children, to which Akane had gasped out a reply that she didn't intend for it to be soon at all.

Late in October, Nodoka announced that she and Genma, and also Soun, were going to pay for a honeymoon for the newlyweds in December, as soon as the school term ended. She apologized for the fact that it was so long after the wedding, but hoped they would enjoy it nonetheless. Akane and Ranma both assured her they greatly appreciated the thought, and were sure that they would enjoy it immensely. Everyone ignored Genma's grumbling that the trip they had taken to China should have been honeymoon enough.

Later that night, Akane and Ranma lay in bed cuddled up to each other, basking in the afterglow of their most recent experiment. As their breathing gradually slowed, Akane brought up an idea which the promised gift had inspired.

"You know, baka ..."

"Hey!" Ranma interrupted, protesting. "Is that anything to call me after what I just ..."

Akane leaned over and kissed him, interrupting him in turn. "You'll always be my baka. By the way, remind me to send a thank you card to that man Jade's married to. Getting back to what I was saying ... we've, uh, been going pretty far lately. If you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I suppose we have," Ranma said contentedly, a bit sleepily.

"Do you think you can manage to wait another two months - well, really, it's a bit less - before we ... do it?"

Ranma forced himself to sound uncertain as he asked, "By 'it' I suppose you mean ...?"

Akane slapped him on the chest. "I mean make love, baka. Don't play dumb."

Ranma chuckled, then answered seriously. "Why so long? I was thinking we were, um, nearly ready. Like you said, we've been going pretty far. It's been getting a lot harder to stop."

"I know," she whispered, then cleared her throat. "It would mean a lot to me, though. If things had gone according to plan, we might, maybe, have gotten married around then. I know we discussed having the wedding after we graduated, but our dads might have talked us into having it earlier. Instead we got married by surprise. This honeymoon ... it could have really been right after the wedding. I want ..."

Akane's voice dropped. "I want my first time to be special. Not just another night here in bed. Could you ... please?"

Ranma pulled his wife closer. "The things I do for you," he told her with a groan. "I'll try. I can't promise more than that."

* * *

More weeks passed. The other students at school continued to try to pry intimate details out of the couple, but were entirely unsuccessful. Further, Nabiki had made it clear to the few who had dared approach her that she would not sell any such information. Both Akane and Ranma wondered nervously if she knew the truth, but neither dared to ask her.

As a matter of fact, Nabiki assumed they were doing what would be assumed to come naturally, and didn't bother to investigate further. What neither Akane nor Ranma guessed was that Kasumi knew the truth. She was, after all, still the one who did the laundry and bought the household supplies.

Ryoga sent word to Ranma that he and Akari had set a date that coming May. Akari would stop by sometime after the New Year to tell Akane, and ask if she would be willing to attend the wedding. As a matter of fact, she had wanted to ask if Akane would be in the wedding party, but Ryoga had suggested that this might be unwise.

A postcard from Lotion arrived in November informing them that Mousse had begun openly courting Meifen, and that many of the village girls were acting envious of her. The tribe had also received word that Prince Herb and Jasmine were expecting a child. No mention was made of Shampoo.

Konatsu came over on numerous occasions seeking moral support from Ranma, to talk about troubles she was having with her curse. In particular she had discovered there were more opportunities for accidents involving hot liquids than she had considered, when one was employed in a restaurant.

Ukyo grew curious enough about these disappearances on Konatsu's part to trail her one day, only to return to her restaurant feeling mentally unbalanced, wondering why Konatsu was visiting the Tendo home. A couple of days later, not trusting herself enough to hold it together when talking to Ranma, she tentatively approached Akane at school to ask what was going on. Although still very bitter toward Ranma, Ukyo found that she could accept Konatsu's need to discuss her curse with the only other cursed individual around whom she felt she could trust. The conversation with Akane also broke the ice a little, and afterward Ukyo exchanged the occasional passing word with Akane when they met in the school hallways.

* * *

The final school day of the term arrived, and came to an end at last. The young couple rushed home, ignoring the dusting of snow on the ground. A short time later Ranma stood in their bedroom packing for the belated honeymoon, while Akane was down in the laundry room, removing some of their clothes from the dryer. Ranma looked up as his sister-in-law Kasumi entered the room, hands behind her back.

"Are you two all ready to go?" she asked brightly.

"Yep," said Ranma. "Got our tickets and everything. Kind of glad we're heading south, as cold as it's been. I'm surprised our fathers didn't pick some place on Hokkaido instead, the way our luck usually runs."

Kasumi smiled. "I believe you can thank your mother for that. In any case, I'm wondering if you've really thought of all the supplies you're going to need."

Ranma looked down into the open pack at his feet. Sounding a little confused, he said, "I think I've got everything. We're not going to be gone that long."

Kasumi held out her arm. There were a couple of boxes resting on her palm. "I think you may have a use for these. Unless I'm mistaken, Akane is not planning to have children yet."

Ranma looked at the boxes, up at Kasumi's still smiling face with its absent expression, then back down at her hand again. He choked out, "Good idea." Taking the boxes he stuffed them down inside the pack. "How did you ...? No, don't answer that."

Without warning, Kasumi suddenly pulled him into a hug. "I just want you and my little sister to be happy. Be good to her, okay?"

Ranma returned the hug tentatively. "I, I will. I promise."

Her eyes a little moist, Kasumi nodded happily. She turned and left, passing Akane as she came in carrying a stack of clothes.

"Hey, what did Kasumi want?" she asked cheerily.

Ranma gave her a smile. "Just something I overlooked in the packing. Let's hurry up and finish. We'll have to leave straight after supper to catch the train."

* * *

In a large and mostly empty house in Nerima, Tatewaki Kuno pulled out the textbook he had already obtained for his economics class next term. He opened it and began reading, slowly losing himself to the fascination he had begun to feel for business matters, forgetting his heartache for a time. He had discovered the relief this provided early in the school term, and his teachers had slowly begun to think there might be some hope for him after all.

His sister Kodachi was out on a date, the third boy in less than a month. She was still incensed over the lecture her brother had given to her about it earlier, particularly because he was right. She _had_ allowed her grades to slip this last term, which would not help her plans to pursue higher education overseas. With a sigh that had nothing to do with whatever the boy sitting across from her was saying, Kodachi decided that perhaps she should try to slow down a bit in her search for true love.

Across town Ukyo had seen the last of the customers out of the restaurant and closed for the evening. She watched Konatsu cleaning up while whistling a cheery tune. Konatsu seemed happier these days. She was showing a growing confidence, less of the old meekness, and she had lately taken to referring to Ukyo as 'Ukyo-san' instead of 'Ukyo-sama.' In fact, she had even had the nerve to insist on a raise a week ago. Ukyo smiled at the memory, though still peeved with herself for not putting up more of an argument before giving in.

The pain was starting to fade. She had even spoken with Akane today at lunch period, for several minutes, wishing her well on the upcoming trip. It seemed that time did heal wounds, even though Ukyo thought it would be a long time before she was willing to trust another man, if she ever could. With a sigh Ukyo resolved to try saying hello to Ranma when the next school term started in January.

At the Unryu farm, Ryoga was standing just outside the house, looking up at the stars, wondering what the hell he had gotten himself into. Bridal magazines covered every flat surface inside the house, and the number of details involved in the planning, from invitations to dresses to floral arrangements to God knew what else, was making his head spin. It was almost to the point where he was thinking of putting his pager down somewhere and going for a long walk.

At that moment a pair of soft arms circled around him from behind, and Ryoga felt his fiancée press herself against his back. He immediately forgot all thoughts of getting lost. "My poor Ryo-chan," her voice came quietly from behind, "it's all been a bit much for you, hasn't it?" At his grunt she said, "It'll all get better. You'll see. I tell you what. Grandfather's already asleep. Why don't you come back to my bedroom with me and I'll give you a little taste of what you have to look forward to?"

Ryoga stiffened. Akari managed to get him turned around and walked him back into the house, with a smile for his cute shyness. Sometimes he forgot that she was a farm girl who raised animals, and necessarily less innocent than she looked. As she led him down the hall, Akari pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and dabbed at the trickle of blood below his nose.

Over in China the hour was earlier, and Mousse was having dinner with Meifen's family. Words like 'betrothal' and 'marriage' had not yet been mentioned, but it was by now fairly well understood that the time was coming. With Mousse tutoring her, Meifen's martial arts skills had increased considerably, to the point where she was thinking in terms of winning the championship in a year or two. She was constantly amazed how few people, even now, realized just how skilled her friend was, just because he was male.

Shampoo and Cologne were making camp for the night, a days hike south of their village in the mountains. Cologne had considered several males of their people as possible suitors for her great-granddaughter, but the girl had dismissed all of them contemptuously. In exasperation the elder had proposed this trip, on which Shampoo had joined her in complete innocence, never questioning where they were going, simply happy to get out of the village for a time. Tomorrow they would arrive at the home of that arrogant but fairly strong jackass Pantyhose Taro, and Cologne had a foolproof scheme in mind to see that her heir was defeated at the boy's hands. She thought his resistance to the idea of marriage might weaken when he learned that he could receive a new Joketsuzoku name as part of the wedding ceremony.

Elsewhere in the mountains Prince Herb was picking himself up off the floor in the hall, rubbing his posterior. He had only been trying to force his wife to rest when she had screamed at him that she was pregnant, not sick, then shoved him out the door and slammed it behind him. ‹I'm a descendant of dragons!› he told himself hotly. Then he thought better of it and decided to come back later, hoping that she'd cool down a bit by then. After all, perhaps there were some things even a dragon was wise enough to fear.

* * *

In the south of Japan, Akane and Ranma were curled up together in bed, both of them exhausted but happy. The sheets were half off the bed, and neither of them was wearing a stitch of clothing.

"That was ... incredible," Ranma said, panting.

"Mmm," agreed Akane, tired but very, very content. "That's my wild horse."

Ranma kissed the hair on top of her head. "I still can't believe you wore that headband to bed. What happened to it anyway?"

"Fell off somewhere in the middle," Akane replied unconcernedly, rolling over a little more and stretching a leg over his. "As for why ... this was my victory dance." She stretched up and kissed him, then pulled back, her head lying on the pillow beside his, gazing deep into her husband's eyes.

"You know," Akane went on softly, stroking Ranma's cheek with her thumb. "Winning you was the best thing that ever happened to me. You really were a prize worth fighting for."

She kissed him again. A kiss he returned with all his heart.

**The End **

* * *

**Author's note:**

This story has reached its conclusion. Thanks for coming along for the ride. Next up from me should be another chapter of _Side by Side_.

Although it wasn't feasible due to what followed in the scene, my pre-reader suggested that in the opening scene when Akane realizes what she's holding and releases her grip, Ranma could have quietly commented, "You don't have to move your hand if you don't want to."

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


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